The Sunset Alchemist
by Jade Author
Summary: After Winry is murdered by a homunculus, Ed becomes depressed. Then he meets an aspiring alchemist who looks just like Winry. Soon, her life becomes endangered, too- possibly by Winry's killer. Ed must decide whether to save her or succumb to the law of equivalent exchange. A little dark at the beginning- gets better. Rated T because I can. Ed/OC Read and review please!
1. Chapter 1

**A.N.- Bleech. So now I'm starting a new fic (duh). I'm not Winry's biggest fan but I like her enough to kill her and base my OC off of her. (EVIL LAUGH) So if there are any Ed/Win fans out there don't worry, my OC is a better version of her but the same…. In a way.**

**Audience: GET ON WITH THE D&*M STORY!**

**Me: Haters. I'll write you all special Homunculus encounters, too. Enjoy! XD**

The Sunset Alchemist, Ch. 1

She ran. She ran and ran. But he was gaining. A panicked feeling shook her body as her breath caught in her throat and made a choking noise. Had to run. Had to hide. Where was Ed? Al? The Philosopher's Stone. They were looking for it. And so was he. She put her head down and sprinted for all she was worth, her blond hair flying behind her and her blue eyes streaming tears of pain. She could hear him behind her, not even panting. He drew closer.

She finally barreled around a sharp turn and collided with a body.

Him.

He found her. Somehow, he had caught up with her and passed her in their chase. She straightened up and immediately tried to back away. He smiled, enviously.

"You know," He purred, "I've heard tell that you're besties with a certain little state alchemist." She bit her lip and spared a glance behind her, trying to find an escape. He laughed,

"No use. Father ordered me to find you and get what I could out of you-"He laughed mirthlessly at the frightened look in her eyes.

"_Please_, Bitch. That's not my style. I don't envy you humans that right you give yourselves- not at all." He moved quickly and hooked his arm around her neck, bringing her close to him. She could see the purple of his eyes and the greenish-black tint of his long hair.

She was terrified.

"What do you know about the Philosopher's Stone?" He growled, all his politeness and chivalry long gone. She flinched, and he smiled again, baring perfect, white teeth.

"Nothing," She whispered, "They didn't tell me anything." He grit his teeth in agitation.

"You sure?"

"Y- yes." Then, he _smiled_. A smile of malicious intent.

Of pure hatred.

"You know, I do _envy _that pretty blonde hair of yours." She flinched and he sniggered. "Miss Rockbell, would you do me the honor of letting me stain that beautiful hair red?" Her blue eyes widened. He- he couldn't be. She glanced down to his legs and saw an auraboras tattoo on the outside of his thigh.

_Watch out for the auraboras tattoos, they mark homunculi._ She recalled Ed's last parting warning as he and Al had boarded the train for Central.

_Ed, _she thought,_ I'm sorry. I won't be able to see you and Al with your bodies back. And I'm afraid there won't be any- _The homunculus's hand snaked around her slender neck and slowly applied pressure. His other hand, just out of her line of vision, burst into sparks. When it neared her face she saw that a knife was- _attached_ to his arm. She felt a searing pain in her stomach but couldn't move, his hand was taking her air. He released her, and she collapsed to the ground in a heap. Blood from her wound tinted the beautiful blonde hair auburn- the color of sunsets. The man looked down at her with mirthful maroon eyes. She completed her thought, silently, but sorrowfully. _I'm afraid there won't be any apple pie when you get back._ The homunculus smiled at her dreadfully, then before disappearing into the haze clouding her vision whispered,

"Goodbye, Miss Rockbell."

**A.N.- Weeelll, that came along better than I had expected. For those of you with NO imagination Winry is being chased by a Homunculus * cough * Envy * cough *. So he catches up and kills her. TAA-DAA! The darkness of this chapter actually surprised me- I promise it won't all be this weirded out. My OC is coming in soon. Comment for names, plz! (Or just comment because you guys are awesome people) And stay tuned for Ed's (& Al's) reactions! I LOVE MY JOB!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N.- I'm tired, so if any of you Vladimir Tod fans spot something YES I SEE THAT THERE I WROTE IT THERE! You can comment and say "oooh now I see it" but leave it for other people to find, too, k? It's my own in-text Geocashe. Had EOG's today. Easy, but I finished so early I had to wait another 2- 3 hours before I could do anything. SLOW PEOPLE! * sniff * Well, enjoy this chapter but be ready for some serious sh*t from Ed's mouth.**

The Sunset Alchemist, Ch. 2

"God, Al. Mustang called me all the way back to Central in the _summer_! Can you believe that?! The nerve of him. I really wanted to go back to Resembool, maybe visit Winry…." The Fullmetal Alchemist paused from his rant to inspect his company, a tall but hollow suit of armor.

"What? You actually wanted to go visit Winry and Granny? _Without_ broken automail? You must be crazy." A laugh resonated inside the empty helmet. His older brother laughed.

"Weird, huh? I've actually been holding out pretty well. This thing hasn't broken in a while. Winry fixed it pretty well last time." He flexed his right arm, but instead of flesh, the whirring sound of gears and wires sounded. His arm and left leg were prosthetics.

The two brothers strolled leisurely through the crowded streets of Central city. Amestris was famous for attracting tourists during the summer, and Central drew the most people in. It was enormous, with distinct districts for housing and a large military headquarters in the center of it all.

"I wonder what Roy is gonna rag me about this time." Ed sighed, "I filed that report on the Elysian disappearances and everything- do you think I was too vague or something, Al?" Alphonse shrugged.

"He might have another lead for us on the Stone. Did you consider that?" Ed grimaced,

"N- yeah. I just don't like getting help from that sick bastard. I'd rather just have the funding and look on our own."

"Brother, we owe Colonel Mustang a lot. He's taken care of us for the last few years and has helped us with our research." Ed snorted,

"Right." After a few more minutes of walking the two brothers arrived at the front gates of the Amestris Military Headquarters. It towered above them and disappeared in the gleam of the hot summer sun.

Edward scowled and marched inside.

"Hawkeye, I want a meeting scheduled with the Eastern Minister."

"Sir,"

"Havoc, get the head of the District Branch on the line, I need to discuss the new military housing units."

"On it, Chief."

"Hayate-" Roy Mustang paused, suddenly realizing he was speaking to his assistant's dog as if it was one of his men.

"- stay cute." The puppy barked once in response, then swiveled around to the entrance.

"Dammit, Mustang this had better be important!" The double doors burst open to admit the Fullmetal Alchemist with his brother trailing behind.

"Ah, Fullmetal. About time you got here." The Colonel pointed to one of the leather couches in front of his desk. Ed huffed and flopped onto one. Alphonse sat down delicately on the one facing opposite him.

"Well, Fullmetal, I wanted to ask you about the report on-"

"The Elysian Parliament disappearances, yeah, yeah, I did that." He waved his automail arm about dismissively in the air. Mustang frowned,

"Saying you blew up the conference building and the brothel does _not_ count as a state-worthy explanation of your mission. Edward paused from observing the fascinating movements of the wild ceiling fan to glare at his superior.

"Mustang, you asked me to report on what happened. I did. That's pretty much all you need to know."

"Did you find anything on the Stone?" Roy asked quietly, "Is that why you're evading a full report?" The young alchemist's head snapped up.

"No." He growled, "Trust me, if we had I wouldn't be here reporting to _you_." Alphonse raised a placating hand.

"Brother, Colonel Mustang was just asking-"

"So? It's none of his business, anyway! Come on, Al, let's go." He and his brother stood abruptly and made their way to the door. As they were leaving the room, Riza Hawkeye brushed past them with a sympathetic glance and all but ran to Mustang's desk. As she whispered rapidly into the Colonel's ear, his face grew grave. Edward and Al had turned to see what had unsettled the First Lieutenant so and saw the change in Mustang's features. The Flame Alchemist stood abruptly.

"Elrics, come with me." He snapped. Ed rolled his eyes,

"_Fine_. But after this I'm going to go take a nap." Roy turned and spoke softly to the brothers,

"You need to see this."

The military car pulled to a halt in the farthest reaches of Central's finest neighborhood. Ed and his brother climbed out of the car recklessly, but were stopped by Hawkeye.

"Boys," She said quietly, "This is awful. I don't think you should-"Edward brushed by her brashly, leaving Alphonse apologizing to the First Lieutenant. He then hurried after his older brother, and was about to turn a corner when his brother's inhuman cry of rage reached his ears.

"You Bastard!" Ed had a military official slammed against the wall, his forearm holding the man about an inch off the ground by his neck. Alphonse ran to his brother and dragged him away from the officer. Edward was panting and screaming incoherent nonsense.

"Brother! Calm down! Why did you attack the soldier?" Ed whirled around wildly, punching at his brother's armor furiously. Then he stopped and pressed his fists to the cold metal. The armor absorbed the heat from his palm, making his flesh hand cold. He leaned his forehead against Alphonse's breast plate and quietly whispered,

"Al, she's gone. Winry's gone."

"What!" The armor was too shocked to respond to his brother all but sobbing onto his empty chest. He gently pushed Edward off of him and rounded the corner. A sheet was on the ground, covering a shape resembling a body.

It couldn't be…

Despite the protests of the officers around him Alphonse pulled back the sheet to reveal its contents.

If he had a stomach he would have retched.

Winry, her pale face such a contrast against the dark cobblestones under her- stained burgundy. Her eyes were closed, almost as if she was sleeping. Alphonse replaced the covering and stumbled back to Ed. He gathered his sobbing brother into his arms and held him.

They cried.

They wept.

They mourned.

All through the night the Elric brothers cried for their childhood friend's death.

**A.N.- I said Ed had a mouthful coming. I feel really bad for making the Fullmetal Alchemist have a breakdown- IN PUBLIC. But it suits the opening for my OC. Vote for names, yall! She needs a name! (If I don't get any good suggestions I'll give her a white trash name- we all don't want that, now do we?) R & R Guys! Stay awesome!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A.N. - Hiiii! Yes, I too am surprised that I can update this quickly- it's RARE. Like steak. I mean oozing pink stuff. (Disgusting, you people must be vampires.) Sooo, one week of school left then I'll officially be an 8****th**** Grader! I SURVIVED! (Insert Eye of The Tiger song here). Okay, I was going to wait… but last night I had an epiphany- ANNND I'm not telling. XP You must read to know! **

**M.T. Mystery Twins: You are very sweet! You can follow me or the story to get updates when I- well- update. **

**PurpleDiamondDevil: Good names! I'll try to add some characters like that in, seeing how I got a name. Sorry!**

**Hopeless Alchemist: It's okay. I suck at names too. XP I was going to name her Alisa but I didn't want Hughes's family to get confused with it and all. Thank god for my name-creating subconscious.**

**SOOO, here's the story! R & R you guys!**

The Sunset Alchemist, Ch. 3

"Sir?" Maria Ross tapped tentatively on the Elrics' hotel door. "Colonel Mustang sent me up here to check on the two of you. Fullmetal?" A loud thudding noise reached the Second Lieutenant's ears as the door was dragged open.

"Oh, it's you, Lieutenant Ross." The younger Elric said quietly. He sounded as if he had been crying. She peered over the armor's shoulder into the room. It was dimly lit and stank of odors.

"May I come in, Al?" Ross asked politely. Alphonse shrugged and opened the door wider. She quickly stepped into the room.

It was filthy. Everywhere there laid discarded clothes and papers. The ceiling fan rotated lazily and Ross pulled the chain twice to speed up the air. On the couch in the center of the room Edward Elric was collapsed. He had his arm flung over his eyes and a crumpled paper in his hand.

"He hasn't left the room for four days, now." Alphonse said quietly, standing behind the Second Lieutenant. She nodded and picked her way through the rubbish to the couch. She was about to reach for the sleeping alchemist's fisted hand when her boot nudged glass under the couch. Stooping down, Ross drew out a liquor bottle from the dusty depths.

"_Edward_! You resorted to _drinking_?" She hissed. Al gave a weak laugh and took the bottle from Ross's hands.

"He thought about it." Maria shook her head.

"No one at Command would tell me what the hell happened. If you don't mind me asking-"She trailed off,

"It's fine. I need to talk to someone anyway. I- She-"The great suit of armor broke down in sobs. Ross gently rubbed his back and whispered quiet assurances to him.

_He's still a child._ She thought. Alphonse calmed himself with shuddering breaths until he could speak legibly.

"Winry, was- was found killed in a Central alleyway." Maria drew in a sharp breath. The Elrics' mechanic? They were so attached to her….

Al continued.

"The officers said she had a Central ticket in her pocket. I- I think she was coming here- to see us." He buried his face in his hands, weeping, and Maria spared a glance at the couch. Edward hadn't moved. Alphonse slowed his breathing again and continued.

"Her stomach was- sliced open. They said it was a professional job. Quickly executed-"The suit choked audibly. Ross felt tears prick her eyes. The girl who got the Elrics back on their feet: dead. She had met the blonde mechanic before; she was a sweet girl who could always handle herself with her trusty wrench. Why was she gone?

She rubbed Alphonse's metal back again, at a loss for words. There was nothing she could do to soften their pain. Their friend- _sister_- had been stolen from them without warning and her remains were left out for them to see.

_Like Hughes._ The thought shocked Ross, sparking an idea in her mind. She stood quickly and saluted.

"I'll report to Mustang that you and your brother are fine. I'll check in on you later today, though." Al looked up, surprised at the Lieutenant's abrupt departure. When Maria reached the doorway, she turned and smiled warmly at Alphonse.

"I'll do all I can to help you, Elrics. Don't worry." With that she left. Alphonse turned to the couch.

"Did you hear that, Brother? Lieutenant Ross is going to try to help us." Ed dragged his arm across his face, not caring if his hair became caught in the metal joints.

"Fine, Al. Fine." He whispered, "Do what you want. It won't change that she's gone- that she's gone and never coming back." His voice rose loudly, and his brother flinched.

"Brother-"

"Go outside, Al. Take a walk or something. Just get out. I need to be alone." Alphonse, stunned by Ed's harsh tone, slowly rose and walked to the entrance.

"Brother," He said at the doorway, "Don't do anything regrettable." Edward laughed coldly.

Alphonse left.

Ed sighed heavily. Tears threatened to spill from his eyes, he angrily rubbed them away. He opened up his clenched hand to reveal a crumpled photo of him and Winry from when they were kids. Ed had dared Winry to kiss him and she complied- so he ran away, screaming bloody murder. Winry easily caught him and pinned him down. Ed's mother snapped a picture in the middle of their tussle that made it look as if they were embracing.

Ed smiled emotionlessly; then he sat up and swung his legs off the couch.

Time to go out.

**A.N.- Gaaah! I know! I know! Don't hate me! She'll come in soon! I promise! I just needed to show the depth of Ed and Al's grief. (Soo bottomless. Could have been deeper, but I want to get to the happy parts here.) Well, Ed has left the reeking cave of Ed-ness and is out to the world. Not wise. He's technically mentally unstable at this point so if anyone says anything upsetting- BAM! Someone set off a Chinese fireworks show! (Are those big and explosive? I hope so.) So stay tuned for ch 4! Love you guys!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A.N.- HAHA! I am on a roll today! I can't believe I'm allowed on the computer this much! Normally I pirate music, (ssh!) but I'm as anxious as you guys are to write this stuff. I'm actually very excited! As I said before: my OC/ Winry reincarnation child already has a name- sorry folks, but it'll be fun. So Ed has left the room to go outside- not weird at all. And guess who he runs into!**

**Al: Hohenheim**

**Ed: HELL YES! That way I can beat the living-**

**Me: NO! Your new awesome buddy who will flipping YANK you out of depression. On to the story. Read and comment! I want criticism, people! My writing can always be improved! So BRING ON THE FLAMES.**

**Al: … enjoy.**

The Sunset Alchemist, Ch. 4

It was hot. Too hot. In the middle of the bustling crowd of Central a small red cloaked figure shuffled through the wave of overenthusiastic tourists that were taking pictures every which way.

_If they knew what happens in this city they wouldn't be half as excited._ Ed thought darkly. He had no idea where to go. Well, actually he did, but he was trying to avoid it at all costs.

_I'm starving._ Edward suddenly thought, grateful for an excuse not to visit the scene. He made a sharp U-Turn and a beeline for a small café resting on the side of the sidewalk. Small tables were scattered about outside the building, occupied by tourists and Central-dwellers alike. Edward trudged up to the counter inside and ordered a melon slice with a side of sago. To pay for the meal he placed his State pocketwatch on the table, telling the annoying guy behind the counter to take money out of his account. While Ed's food was being brought to him, a high-pitched squeal stabbed at his ears.

"An Alchemist!" Edward ignored it, someone tugged on his cloak, but he brushed it off. Somebody huffed.

"You're a rude Alchemist, aren't you!" The high- clearly female voice- declared,

"Only when people don't leave me alone," He growled. The voice was so annoying but familiar that Ed paused and started to turn-

"Your food, Bro!" The tall waiter slammed down Ed's food on the counter. The alchemist scowled, snatched his watch, and took his food outside.

The sun was annoying; it kept on heating Ed's automail arm under his cloak no matter where he put it. Eventually he gave up and sat in the seat, drowning in his own misery and dark thoughts.

"Miss Sadie," A heavy voice drawled,

"_What_, Evan?" It was the pitchy girl from earlier. She sounded irate and aggravated, now.

"Can I buy you a drink from the bar, Sadie-girl?"

"_Hell no_." The conversation was being carried out by the doorway, Ed's back was turned so that he was facing the street.

"And why not?" Evan sounded angry now; Ed smirked darkly at the guy's idiocy.

"Because one: I don't drink, and two: I'm not about to take anything from you, _jerk_." She spat. Evan growled angrily and Ed could hear him move towards the girl. She squeaked, and Ed rose from his seat- ever the brave alchemist- to save her.

Not necessary.

A bright flash of blue light entered Ed's line of vision, accompanied by small streaks of lightning. Alchemy. Evan shouted and fell back, colliding with some of the tables nearby. Edward whirled around to see a tall girl holding both her hands in front of her, palms out. Blue sparks flickered around her palms. Evan was sprawled out on the ground, unconscious.

"Jesus, Evan, I said no." She sounded a little scared, now. People were looking every which way at the strange girl who had blasted a man ten feet with her bare hands. Ed risked a glance at her, too.

She was tall and lean, almost like she was underfed. She was wearing black capris and an olive green jacket with a white shirt underneath. Then Ed saw her face.

"Winry!" He shouted, the girl turned and looked at him in a confused way. He didn't notice. "Winry- you're alive! God, Al and I were-"He stopped as the blonde girl walked up to him slowly.

"Are you okay?" She asked him, "I don't know a Winry." Ed was crestfallen.

"But, you're her." He said quietly. His hood had fallen from his head, revealing his braid and gold eyes. Winry/ Not Winry stared at him in awe.

"You're Edward Elric!" She said excitedly, "The Fullmetal Alchemist!" Ed's shoulders sagged,

"Yeah. Guess I am." She frowned at him.

"You don't look very good. Are you alright?" He shrugged. She carried on, "I can do alchemy, too! It's not very good, though. I want to become a State Alchemist!" Ed looked sharply at her.

She was Winry's spitting image. Why wasn't she Winry? The Winry double looked at Ed again and blew air out of her cheeks.

"Phew, forget before- you look terrible. You should probably get out of the heat." She pointed to his coat. "And you should take that off, too." Edward ignored her and pushed her away. Fake Winry frowned again- just like the real Winry would. Ed turned and stormed out into the street, pushing aside tourists and Central-dwellers alike. He rubbed at his eyes angrily, banishing the sweet memories that threatened to resurface. Damn.

Alphonse meandered down the sidewalk, not really knowing where to go. Ed had sent him out, maybe his brother just needed time by himself.

_I hope he doesn't do something stupid._ The suit thought. He stepped out onto an almost empty street- unusual for Central in the summer. Al slowly walked down the middle of the street. Only a few people lingered on the sidewalks.

Someone burst out of a small building to Alphonse's left. A streak of blonde hair flew by him and Alphonse caught sight of- _Winry_.

**A.N.- Yes, I know, I know. I wanted it to go farther but I thought it best for Al to have a quick glance at "Sadie-girl" and cut it off. Stay tuned for the next chapter, Ed might actually talk to someone nicely this time. Thank you for the marvelous comments and all the fave's and follows! You guys are soo sweet! R&R, please! And BRING ON THE FLAMES! XD**


	5. Chapter 5

**A.N.- I'm so amazed! I'm going to make the best of this rare (vampiric) time I have on the computer and type until my fingers go numb sdoushgdohdaid… OH MY GOD IT'S HAPPENING!**

**Enjoy you guys!**

The Sunset Alchemist, Ch. 5

"Wait!" Alphonse shouted, as Winry sped by him. She slowed and turned to look at him, bouncing on the balls of her feet impatiently.

"Yes?" She looked at the tall suit of armor curiously, "Aren't you hot in that? I met an alchemist earlier who wouldn't take off this big dramatic red cape." She spread her arms, mimicking a cloak. Alphonse was confused. She was Winry's exact- not replica- that would be heartless to admit, but her double.  
"You're dead." Was the most intelligent speech he could muster. Winry laughed but stopped at the seriousness of his voice.

"I don't feel dead." She said, patting her sides humorously to reassure the suit that she was flesh and blood. Al's voice shook,

"But you were. I _saw_ you, Winry!" She held up her hands in a placating motion.

"The other guy called me Winry, too. Who is this girl?" Alphonse was surprised,

_I guess Brother did go outside after all, and then he met her. _He turned to Winry/ Not Winry,

"Would you come to our apartment, please? There are some questions my brother and I want to ask you." Winry sighed and shifted uneasily.

"I would really like to, but I'm late for work and there are some unhappy people over there who don't like me." She pointed discreetly to a group of ruffians lurking on a corner. "And I do _not_ want them to catch me so-"Without a word, Alphonse hooked Winry's arm through his and exclaimed loudly,

"There you are, Babe! Let's go, we don't want to be late for our dinner at Central Command!" Glancing behind him, Al saw the thugs shrink back at the mention of the military headquarters. Winry smiled happily up at him and said,

"Alright, work can wait."

"Holy- ugh." Winry covered her nose with her hand when she entered the room. It seemed to Alphonse that the stench had gotten worse since the outdoor temperature had risen.

"You guys live in here?" Al nodded,

"That's ridiculous."

The suit shrugged sheepishly and cleared off a space of the couch for her, then sat on the floor on the other side of the low coffee table.

"So, um-"

"Sadie," Winry declared, "My name is Sadie Adams, and you are?"

"Alphonse Elric." Sadie gasped,

"You're Edward Elric's brother! You're a hell of a lot taller than he is." Alphonse chuckled good-naturedly.

"So who is this Winry person- if you don't mind me asking?" Sadie inquired, Al's voice grew thick, and his head bowed.

"Winry was our best friend. We grew up together: her, brother, and I; and when Brother lost his limbs and I lost my body she helped fix Brother some Automail." Sadie waved her hands crazily in front of her face.

"Wait- you lost your _body_? How can you move?" Alphonse removed his helmet, revealing his internal emptiness.

"Brother and I tried to bring back our mother using Human Transmutation, Brother lost his arm, and I lost my body, but Ed gave his leg to pull my soul back and attach it to this armor." He rushed through this quickly, and Sadie nodded quietly,

"And Winry made Edward prosthetics."

"No, real working limbs just made of metal, not blood." The armor shook as he told Sadie about Winry's murder, about seeing her lying in the alley. Sadie felt horrible.

"I'm sorry, Alphonse." She whispered, crawling over to the metal body. She leaned up against it carefully.

"I'm so sorry." Alphonse cleared his throat and spoke again,

"You look just like Winry, so I guess that's why Brother walked off. You're just like her, except-"

"Except I'm not." Sadie finished for him. Al nodded.

"Maybe when Brother gets back we can-"The door to the room was thrown open with a bang and Edward stormed in. Al and Sadie were startled and turned towards the door.

"Brother!" Alphonse cried happily, "You'll never guess who I found-"

"You," Ed growled, directing his speech to Sadie. "Get out." She looked shocked,

"Ed!" Alphonse admonished, "I invited Sadie in, and you can't just kick her out!"

"Yes I can!" Edward snarled, storming to Sadie and yanking her up by her hair. She cried out, and Alphonse shouted,

"Stop it, Brother!" Ed proceeded to bring Sadie to the door, with much hair-pulling involved.

"Edward, stop it!" Sadie's palms flew up and shoved Edward in the chest, sending arcs of purple electricity across his torso. Edward was only stunned. Sadie took advantage of the moment to wrench free from the State Alchemist's grasp and round to face him. In the time it took to blink, though, Ed recovered and trapped Sadie's neck in the crook of his automail arm. She squeaked as the hinges bit into her skin but Ed didn't release her.

"_Out. Now._" He growled through grit teeth. Alphonse quickly struck his brother on the head. Lightly.

"Enough!"

When Ed came to he realized that he was lying on the couch in the hotel room. The girl and Alphonse were sitting nearby. They had trash bags and were obviously cleaning up the place.

"God, it's a mess." Fake-Winry said, Al chuckled,

"It wasn't until a few days ago, but it's been worse." Edward groaned audibly to get his brother's attention. Al rushed to the couch.

"Brother! I'm sorry I hit you, but you were hurting Sadie and I-"Ed raised his hand to silence the suit. He then looked to the girl, she was standing just behind his brother like he would protect her.

"You're not Winry?" He asked quietly. She shook her head.

"I'm Sadie. Um, Sadie Adams, and I guess you're Edward Elric." She rubbed the front of her neck instinctively, and Ed saw small bruises and cuts on her skin.

"Did I-?"

"Yes," They both confirmed. Ed put his arms over his eyes.

"Um Surry," The two others leaned closer,

"What?"

Ed groaned,"I'm sorry, okay? I don't really know what happened. It felt terrible seeing you because deep down I knew you weren't her and you never would be. It just hurt because I lost Winry, and then you come along and mimic her every move. It just hurts."

"Brother, you apologized and gave a deep epiphany, which means you're moving up in life!" Al exclaimed brightly. Ed smiled. Faintly. Then he removed his arms from his face and sat up.

"So, you're Sadie?" She nodded nervously; Ed patted a seat on the couch beside him and she sat down timidly. "I saw at the café you were doing alchemy without a transmutation circle. How do you do that?" Sadie looked at her palms as if they were priceless artifacts.

"I don't really know. I've always been able to do that."

"When did you want to start learning alchemy?" She shrugged,

"Around seven or eight,"

"Oh, and how old are you, now?"

"Fourteen. Why?" Alphonse broke in excitedly,

"That means we're the same age! Brother is one year older, though." Sadie inspected Ed, taking in his braid, his black shirt, the ridiculous boots….

"Why do you want to learn alchemy, Sadie?" Ed asked, cutting across her thoughts.

"I want to be a State Alchemist." Ed looked surprised, and Sadie bet that if Al had a face he would have, too.

"Sadie, it's not all fun and games. Once you're accepted, the military literally _owns_ you." He placed a hand on her shoulder, but she flinched and pushed it off.

"I know that, I just need some way for me to-"She broke off abruptly, the brothers leaned in.

"To-?" Ed prompted her, Sadie frowned.

"I can't remember." She looked as if she was trying to recall a memory but it wouldn't register. Eventually she gave up.

"Don't know." Al cleared a space on the floor,

"Sadie, could you show us some of your alchemy?" She shrugged carelessly and knelt by the cleared spot on the floor. She pressed her palms to the carpet, and lightning flashed, bright and blinding. When the three could see again, a small chirruping bird stood in front of them. It was made entirely out of the maroon carpet, but was flexible and alive. It spread its wings and took to the air. When it reached the ceiling, however, it burst into flames and plummeted down to the floor. Alphonse quickly stamped out the bird's flames before any of the scattered papers and rubbish caught on fire. Sadie scowled.

"My alchemy is seriously unstable. Sometimes when I'm really angry or scared I'll randomly change-"

"Transmute." Al interjected helpfully.

"Transmute things." Sadie finished. Ed frowned deeply at the smoking pile of ash that was the bird.

"I don't think I know of any alchemy like yours. Do you, Al?" The armor shook his head. Edward leaned back on the couch and crossed his arms behind his head.

"Well, then. I guess we'll just have to pay Mr. Arsonist himself a visit."

**A.N.- Don't hate me! I'm not very satisfied with Sadie's character. I might go back and change it. (And her name.) I know it was a really bad chapter but oh well. So Ed is slowly coming out of his depression and life is lifting up (little bit), but I don't know whether I should put Sadie on a few adventures with the Elrics or just get to the frigging awesome part I already have written and am ready to show to the world. COMMENT WHAT YOU WANT. I'm a naturally indecisive person so I need help. R&R! Love you guys!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A.N.- Hi you guys! So Ed, Al, and Sadie are all trooping up to Central Command to see Mustang and his crew to try and figure out Sadie's strange alchemy. Make sure you remember Evan from two chapters ago, (FYI). Enjoy, Read, Review. That's the cycle of life. Have fun!**

The Sunset Alchemist, Ch. 6

Ed, Al, and Sadie walked quickly down the Central streets. People jostled them every which way carelessly.

"I hate Central in the summer," Ed grumbled, elbowing a stout man out of the way. Sadie and Al followed carefully.

The Fullmetal Alchemist still scared Sadie. His eyes were red and slightly swollen, like he had been crying a lot, and she was afraid to say something to him lest he become angry again.

She rubbed her neck again.

"You'll like Colonel Mustang, Sadie." Alphonse said, trying to start a conversation. "He's helped Brother and me ever since we got back on our feet." He stopped and looked ahead to his brother, hoping not to incite him to anger with memories. Ed just groaned.

"I hate him. He's a selfish jerk and an absolute bastard at times. I'm only going back to Command because we need to research, check in, and probably see Sheska- possibly." His two companions nodded absentmindedly.

At the gates to the Central Headquarters, Edward casually flashed the guards his silver pocket watch and was admitted. Al trailed after his brother, but when Sadie tried to cross over the threshold guns were leveled at her head.

"Unauthorized entry into Central Command," One of the officers droned, "State your name and busi-"

"It's fine, guys. She's with me today." Edward strolled up casually behind the guards and pushed them aside, offering his hand to Sadie. She carefully took it, noting that it was his normal hand. Once they were inside Sadie tried to pull away from Ed, but his gloved hand held hers firmly.

"Don't let go," He whispered, "I need some backbone when I face these idiots today." She swallowed and nodded, painfully aware that Edward could break her arm at any moment. Alphonse walked to Sadie's right, Ed to her left, almost making an escort through the white halls of Central. The trio neared a set of double doors at the end of a hall in the West Wing. Sadie raised her free hand to knock but the doors opened of their own accord, a tall blonde woman standing inside them.

She was obviously shocked to see the Elrics. Eventually her hand slid off the handles and she stepped aside and stood at attention inside the room. Ed dragged Sadie and Alphonse in.

"Lieutenant," He acknowledged the blonde lady; she showed no emotion or signs of recognition. Alphonse waved as he passed, and she smiled a bit; but when Sadie was pulled by her, a look of such severe shock passed over her features that Sadie felt guilty.

A tall mahogany desk was placed by the windows overlooking the smaller desks in the office. Behind it sat a tall man with black hair and eyes. He had a scowl on his face, and to Sadie it looked permanent. When Ed, Sadie, and Al burst into his office a flicker of surprise crossed his face but was then replaced by concern and- sympathy.

"Fullmetal, are you sure you should be up and about?" The tall man asked quietly, standing up from his desk quickly. Sadie assumed this was the Flame Alchemist Colonel Roy Mustang that Ed had been griping about. Edward glared at his superior,

"Why the hell not, Mustang?" The Colonel opened his mouth to respond but then he saw Sadie.

"_Jesus Christ_." He whispered, the blonde Lieutenant walked to the Mustang's desk and stood off to his left protectively. They both stared at Sadie as if she were a ghost. Alphonse broke the silence.

"Um, this is Sadie Adams. Brother and I both met her on the street yesterday. She has a new kind of alchemy we've never seen before." The suit stepped back and pushed Sadie forward. She was still attached to Edward who refused to let go, so he was dragged forward, as well. Mustang raised an eyebrow at the strange arrangement. Ed scowled at him.

"Uh, Sir, my alchemy is kind of-"The Colonel raised his hands,

"Call me Roy,"

"Oh, okay- Roy." These people were weird. "My alchemy comes from my palms and when I'm really scared, or angry I guess stuff just happens." Roy frowned,

"Without a Transmutation Circle? The Elrics don't use circles either." Sadie cocked her head,

"I've never used a circle. I just touch something and perform alchemy." Mustang's frown deepened.

"You don't press your hands together like these two do?" He gestured to the brothers.

Ed stuck out his tongue.

Sadie looked uncomfortable. "Um, no, I don't. I literally touch something and I don't even have to think about it." Roy pressed his fingers together at the tips and rocked them back and forth thoughtfully.

"Have you seen Truth?"

"Excuse me?" Mustang sighed exasperatedly and repeated the question,

"Have you seen Truth?" Sadie shifted,

"I have no idea what or who you're talking about, sir" She added. Roy turned to his assistant and said, "Hawkeye, get Miss Adams some food. Alphonse, you and Sadie go with her." Lieutenant Hawkeye bowed and walked to the door. Al turned and followed. Sadie attempted to let go of Ed's hand but he still kept her there.

"If it's alright, Mustang, I want Sadie to stay in here for a minute." He turned to his brother and smiled,

"Go save her a seat, Al. You know how crowded the dining hall gets." The suit caught his meaning and left with the Lieutenant, leaving Ed, Sadie, and Mustang alone. Sadie tapped her fingers on the side of her leg, drumming out an unknown beat. Mustang sighed and broke the tense staring contest between him and the older Elric.

"What, Fullmetal?" Ed took a deep breath,

"I didn't come up here just to discuss Sadie's alchemy." Roy quirked an eyebrow,

"I figured as much; spit it out." Ed inhaled deeply and crushed Sadie's hand in response to her comforting squeeze.

"I want to start a case on Winry's murder." Mustang's black eyes flickered between Ed and Sadie, taking in their posture, facial expression, their determination.

"Fullmetal, that case was already closed. It was closed as a street murder of a girl that just happened to be coming to see you-"Ed slammed his automail arm on the desk, accidentally slipping his other hand out of Sadie's at the same time.

"It was planned! Someone knew she was coming to see Al and me, and they fucking _killed_ her, Mustang! They planned it! Every inch! The time, the place, the victim…" His voice was thick and caught in his throat. Sadie stepped forward but a glance from Mustang warned her to stay away from Edward's anger.

"Mustang, I want the damn case reopened, and I want to be assigned to it!" He was seething, and Sadie was terrified. She retreated a few steps, one hand cupping her neck protectively. Mustang's hardened gaze relaxed and softened when he saw Sadie. Ed didn't see anything but red.

"Fullmetal," Mustang interjected, "Stop, you're scaring her." He pointed behind Edward to Sadie, whose eyes were wide in fear. Ed whirled around furiously. Sadie squeaked. Mustang jumped from his desk to stop him. At the sight of Winry- no _Sadie_ cowering before him, Ed felt beaten. He turned to Mustang, who had a stoic look on his face, then back to Sadie. He raised his hands up in front of him and took slow steps towards her.

"I'm sorry." He said quietly, "I guess I let go of your hand, huh?" He managed a weak smile; but Sadie still backed away from him. Edward stopped and sat down cross-legged on Mustang's floor. Mustang walked swiftly past him and put his arm around Sadie's shoulders. She didn't flinch at the contact.

"He didn't mean to. Winry meant a lot to him, and he still loves her," He whispered in her ear. Sadie nodded but didn't take her eyes off of Ed. Edward grit his teeth at Mustang's words, despite their truth.

Thudding footsteps echoed down the hall as Hawkeye, Alphonse, Fury and Havoc burst into the office.

"Jesus, Chief, what was all that shouting and ranting?" Fury rubbed the back of his neck absentmindedly.

"Oh, hey, Miss Rockbell." Sadie became rigid and slowly turned to the officer. He quickly realized his mistake and apologized.

"Brother, what happened?" Alphonse asked, sidling past the military officers into the office. Edward was still sitting on the carpet, but tears were leaking down his face. All the others were shocked.

Fullmetal didn't cry.

"Dammit, I screwed up again." He muttered, getting to his feet and wiping his face on his crimson sleeve. He pushed by Hawkeye, Havoc, and Fury in the doorway with a short 'sorry' before taking off down the hall.

"Brother!" Alphonse started to pursue Ed but stopped and turned to Sadie. "Are you okay? He didn't hurt you again, did he?" She shook her head.

"Go after him," She said. The suit nodded and followed his brother.

_Shit, I seriously messed it up. Now Mustang will never reopen the case. And I almost hurt Sadie again. Shit._ Ed tore down the halls, passing officers and State Alchemists alike, until he ran into a blue uniformed officer who threw themselves in his way. Ed disentangled himself from the other officer and saw that he had collided with none other than Maria Ross.

"So you're out and about, Edward?" She inspected his face closely, "What happened?" Ed sat on the roof of Central and told Ross everything. She listened. When Edward had finished, Ross shared her news.

"I went back to the crime scene, to look around." Edward's automail hand clenched. "And I found something,"

"What, what did you find?" He asked eagerly, the Second Lieutenant shook her head.

"I found an Auraboras, drawn in blood." Ed gritted his teeth in black anger. It was a damn Homunculus. But Ross had more.

"There was a small 'E' drawn under the Auraboras- also in blood." Ed stood abruptly,

"Thanks, Lieutenant." He said to her truthfully, and fled from the roof with renewed triumph in his heart.

**A.N.- Ed is getting past the initial grieving phase and is on the angry blaming phase. Sadie is still scared sh*tless by Ed because of their meeting in the hotel. So now the case might go back up and run in the background but for now Ed and Sadie need to fix this little (not little- HUGE) gorge between them. I thought the hand –holding was a nice touch. Comment and review, please! Love you guys!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A.N.- Writing this is like therapy. My brother died when I was 7 so it's kind of sweet to be able to put all this emotion into a story. I was in a serious sad stage, then I blamed myself, then I blamed the world and IT NEVER ENDED! I'm better now, but I'm just surprised at how much Ed is kind of following my grieving pattern. (And the sterotype grieving pattern is technically what we're both using, here.) And don't worry, guys, Al still feels the loss of Winry, he's just trying to be strong for Ed. Enjoy!**

The Sunset Alchemist, Ch. 7

"Brother! Where did you go? Sadie and I were worried sick!" Alphonse scolded his older brother relentlessly, Edward shrugged it off. "We had no idea where you'd gone! You just ran off and left us!"

"Al, Lieutenant Ross found some information for us!" Edward was excited, which was better than wallowing in grief, Alphonse thought.

"What kind of information?"

"She found clues at- at the crime scene." His smile faltered, and Al quickly pressed on,

"Really? What kind of information, Brother?"

"An Auraboras tattoo and an 'E' written beneath it," A gasp resonated within Alphonse's helmet.

"A Homunculus!"

"Exactly,"

"So that means…"

"That damn shapeshifter did it!"

"Envy!" Sadie caught up to the brothers in the hall, accompanied by Hawkeye, who watched Edward closely.

"Sadie we've got a lead! We found a lead!" Alphonse grabbed Sadie's hands and whirled her around, her feet leaving the ground. She laughed giddily as Al set her back on her feet. Then she sobered and took careful, measured steps to Ed.

"You okay?" She asked him quietly, he nodded and offered her his hand- an unspoken apology. She smiled and took it, just like real Winry would. Ed shook his head and thought,

_She's gone. I guess I'll have to deal with it. But Al and I have Sadie, so it's not half bad. _Sadie nudged him and he looked down at her.

"We should go get some food, I'm starving." He smiled and nodded at her. Sadie turned and offered her other hand to Alphonse, who happily took it. Together the three of them walked down the halls and out of Central Command.

"What do you want to eat, Al?" Sadie asked the empty suit playfully,

"Air sandwich." Was the immediate response, Sadie laughed and turned to Ed, "We need somewhere that makes fantastic air sandwiches." He groaned,

"No, we need somewhere with an endless buffet. I haven't eaten since yesterday." His stomach growled audibly, and Al and Sadie both laughed.

Eventually, Ed found a little restaurant with outside tables and sat down immediately. Sadie and Al sank down on either side of him. Ed picked up the menu and inspected it thoroughly.

"There's not a damn thing on here that sounds appetizing."

"What about those?" Sadie asked, leaning onto Ed's shoulder slightly to point at an item at the bottom of the menu. Ed flushed.

"Yeah, sure." A pale waiter stopped by their table and took their orders. Sadie ordered a small salad with tomatoes and a cup of strawberry sorbet. Ed ordered about four servings of some kind of pigeon pie.

"Any milk for you, Sir?" The waiter bent down to Ed's level, looking him in the eye curiously.

"Ah, hell no." The alchemist growled, Alphonse laughed.

"He doesn't like milk."

"Well I do," Sadie declared, Ed chuckled and pointed to the blonde.

"She'll have one, then." The waiter bowed and retreated into the restaurant. As soon as he was gone, the smiles around their table faded.

"His, eyes, aren't people that pale supposed to have reddish eyes?" Sadie whispered to the brothers. Alphonse nodded.

"They were- purple." Edward leaned in, his brother and Sadie did the same.

"I don't like this guy. Don't let him get too close, alright?" The other two nodded.

When their food was delivered, all three of them watched the pale waiter with the maroon eyes furtively. He accidentally dropped a fork on Alphonse's shoulder, resulting in a hollow clanging noise for which the pale man apologized excessively. Ed's four pigeon pies were delivered and Sadie's salad and sorbet. She leaned away slightly as the waiter set her food in front of her and leaned down by her face to do so. Ed made a fist under the table. A few moments later Sadie's glass of milk was brought to her. She eyed it warily. Edward slightly shook his head no, but the waiter stood behind him and waited for her to drink it. So she did.

Satisfied, the albino waiter returned once again into his evil lair of restaurant-ness. As soon as he left, Sadie spluttered and spat milk on the pavement.

"_Oh god!_" She gasped, "Never again! Ever!" Alphonse and Ed laughed.

"Milk is a bitch." He said simply. Sadie nodded and wiped her mouth.

"Ugh, he wouldn't leave and I had to drink it!" They all laughed.

The appearance of the pale man behind Sadie frightened them all into silence, and he spoke in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Was the drink not to your liking, Miss?"

"Oh, no. It was fine, I just choked because these idiots made me laugh." She hadn't turned around, and was sending clear telepathic messages that said, _help me_.

"Is that so?" The waiter's arm crept onto the table and reached for the knife by Sadie's plate. "I'm sorry, but you'll still have to pay for it!" He brought the knife slashing down to Sadie's neck.

A clang and a howl reached Sadie's ears. She opened her eyes to see Ed's automail arm stretched in front of her face. The waiter was on the ground but recovered quickly. Sadie looked up to Ed and saw that he had a shallow cut on his cheek and the knife firmly lodged in his automail.

"Ed!"

"Brother!" He grimaced and pulled the utensil out of his prosthetic limb.

"Well damn. Now I'll have to go and get this fixed. Screw you, milkman." Sadie looked to the waiter, but he was gone. In his place, however, was a tall man with long green-tinted hair and mauve eyes.

"Envy," Ed hissed, the tall man waved dismissively at the State Alchemist.

"Long time, no see, Pipsqueak." He taunted. Ed growled at him. The man turned his attention to Sadie, looking her over.

"How the hell are you alive?" He asked, "I killed you."

**A.N.- AND YESS! That's where it leaves off. Ed and Al are now certain that Envy did it. Fun! I too hate milk. And so I think the "Milk is a bitch" comment WAS necessary. So yes, yes it is. I have an albino friend, she's very sweet, so no offenses to albinos here, okay? Ed keeps on having mood swings where Sadie and Al make him happy, then some Winry- related thing comes up and he blows a fuse with the world. Oh well. We all have flaws. Read, Review, and Stay Tuned! (A terrible jingle, I know. Just stay posted.)**


	8. Chapter 8

**A.N.- So Envy has found Ed, Al, and Sadie and kinda ruined their lunch. (Jerk, if anyone disrupts my lunch you feel the wrath- I don't have much wrath on an empty stomach.) I know, this is really dark and Ed is having waay too many dark angry moods, but I'm going to fix this! It's going to be better! Thanks for sticking with this story so far, you guys- it means a lot to me that you all care so much! (People at home and school don't really give 2 sh*ts about my work so you people are my receiving audience!) R&R, please!**

The Sunset Alchemist, Ch. 8

Sadie was shocked. Who was this guy? He was wearing a cutoff tank top that showed his midriff and thin sandals that exposed his heels and toes, but wrapped around his legs to the knee. Sadie noticed a scarlet tattoo on his leg, a dragon eating itself around a star. Then she giggled.

"What the hell's so funny?" The strange man and Ed both snapped at her, Sadie laughed harder.

"A skirt, he's wearing a goddamned _skirt_!" The man with the purple eyes growled audibly at Sadie, which halted her laughter instantly. He marched up to her and grabbed her by the chin. Ed and Al shouted at him. Sadie looked unflinchingly into the tall man's maroon eyes. They were motionless for a moment until Edward tore Sadie out of the man's grasp.

"Don't touch her, Envy!" He spat, boiling furiously. "We know. We know you killed her! We've got proof!" Envy pointed innocently behind Ed to Sadie, who was being inspected by Alphonse for any injuries.

"Then who's that?" Sadie shrugged the suit off and rounded to face Envy.

Edward seethed.

"I'm not her! I'm not Winry you sick, twisted bastard! So go away!" Envy smiled viciously and took a step forward. Ed set his jaw and pushed Sadie behind him even more.

Envy smiled.

"This is new." He called, "Adopting a look alike to help the grief? Jesus, Pipsqueak I didn't know you stooped so low!" Alphonse pulled Sadie away from Ed and the tall man. The outside area had long since been void of people. Nobody wanted to be in the middle of a fight with Fullmetal.

"Damn Homunculus," Edward growled, "I'd never do that! You took Winry from me, and you're gonna pay for it!" He clapped his hands and passed his right over his left arm. A long blade tore through Ed's white glove and adorned his automail hand. He rushed Envy, shouting incoherent words at him. Envy grinned and sidestepped the alchemist's attack.

"Man, it felt good," He taunted, "Slicing her up the middle. And her eyes-"The Homunculus placed two fingers around his eyes and mimicked them widening in shock. "Priceless! Then her hair, all turned scarlet with her blood! It was beautiful!" Edward screamed in anger and charged the Homunculus. With a slide of his foot Envy tripped Ed and pinned him on the ground. Al held Sadie tightly in one spot but longed to help his sibling.

"Brother!"

"Ed!" Sadie twisted out of Alphonse's grip and sprinted across the patio. She barreled into Envy, shoving him with her glowing palms. Red electricity sparked as Envy was thrown back twenty feet and hit a brick wall, leaving an enormous indention. Sadie advanced cautiously while Al rushed to his brother.

_There's no way in hell he could have survived that,_ Sadie thought. _But he dodged Edward's attack so easily- like he wasn't human…_ Amid the dust from the collision, Envy arose. His head was crooked at an odd angle that should have rendered him immobile.

But he walked.

Envy staggered a few steps, red and purple sparks flickered over his body, closing cuts and mending bruises. With a hideous crack, the Homunculus stood upright and twisted his head back into a proper position. Sadie gagged.

"Damn you, girl." He growled at her. "That fucking hurt." Sadie tried to recover and raise her palms, but the man strode to her and struck her across the face before she could think. Lights exploded into Sadie's vision, and she hit the ground in a heap, lying limply on the bricks.

Envy stared disdainfully at the unconscious girl at his feet.

"Just like the other one," He muttered, spitting crimson tinted saliva at the ground. A bruise was spreading across the blonde girl's face, reaching from her cheekbone to her jaw. Envy grimaced at his work,

"Maybe I over did it, but she still lasted me into a fucking wall." He turned to the Elric brothers; the Pipsqueak was just coming to and the empty armor was fussing over him like a mother hen. Fullmetal saw the blonde on the ground by Envy and sprang to his feet with a shout. He staggered, and his younger brother stabilized him. Envy picked up a shattered stone and pressed it between his palms.

In a flash of green light, it elongated and sharpened, turning into a deadly weapon. The Homunculus inspected the dagger. Hastily made, but enough to get his message through. Holding the tip between his fingers, he raised the knife above his head, his target the unconscious girl's throat.

Edward shouted.

Alphonse gasped.

Envy smiled.

The knife sped towards Sadie's neck, but with a clang averted its course and landed a millimeter away from her nose. Envy hissed and looked up. Riza Hawkeye, with her Colt 45 at the ready knelt on the sidewalk. She didn't lower her gun when a tall military official walked behind her and patted her gently on the shoulder, nor did she show any emotion.

"Surrender with your hands in the air." The officer commanded, it was obvious by his decorations that he was a Colonel. A glance at the glove on his right hand gave Envy all the information he needed.

"Why, Mustang?" He whined patronizingly, "I was having so much _fun_. Then your blonde sharpshooter screwed the whole system." The Homunculus stared pointedly at Sadie collapsed at his feet. The blade still quivered in front of her face, but she was still unconscious. Mustang raised his gloved hand, ready to ignite a spark.

"I'll give you till the count of three." He warned, "One, two-"

"No!" Ed's hand shot up and snatched the Colonel's hand, spraying sparks to the pavement. "He'll survive that, Mustang, but Sadie won't." Mustang scowled but nodded his consent,

"Then what's your plan of action, Fullmetal?" Ed threw off his red cloak, disentangling it from his automail.

"I'm going to get Winry back- the hard way."

**A.N.- da-da-DAAAA! Ed is so pissed at Envy right now he's seeing Sadie as Winry- oh crap. Mustang is useless already so I'm not going to make it rain- BTW it's raining at my house so I'm in a rainy mood. XD Oh well. Hope you guys like this chapter, and NO- Sadie will NOT always be so helpless. Comment and tell me what you think should happen in this fight. Should Envy escape with Winry- excuse me- Sadie? Or should Ed save her and fight Envy another day? Comment guys! Love you all, and thanks for your support!**


	9. Chapter 9

The Sunset Alchemist, Ch. 9

Ed strode forward, all fear forgotten. He only had an urge to protect Winry- to never lose her again. Envy laughed at the State Alchemist's advance.

"What cha' gonna do, Pipsqueak? Better be careful, don't want to kill her twice." He nodded down at Sadie, who was just beginning to stir. Edward growled menacingly, but Envy just laughed at him.

"Watch it, Shortie. Your temper might hurt somebody." He placed a bare foot on Sadie's shoulder and rolled her onto her back. Her eyes snapped open furiously. Black energy flashed around her hands as she grabbed onto the Homunculus's leg.

Envy screamed as waves of lightning coursed over and through his body. He fell back, allowing Sadie a change to scramble to her feet and flee behind Edward.

Envy was lying on the ground, his foot was charred, and his body was smoking.

He twitched.

Mustang's men raised their weapons again, ready to open fire upon the slightest order.

"You know what? Just for that I'm definitely going to kill you now, Girl." The corpse swung itself up into a standing position, still smoking. Edward thrust out his injured automail arm like a barrier in front of her.

"Like hell you will,"

Envy snickered, "Not today, Pipsqueak; but keep her under close watch- especially now that she's so valuable." He retreated, and Roy shouted for his officers to fire.

Ed turned to Sadie, who was staring dumbfounded at her hands. He gently took hold of her wrist but she pulled away with a shriek.

"No! I might burn you!" Edward's anger ebbed and he managed a weak chuckle.

"I've been through worse, trust me." Sadie nodded quietly and took Edward's outstretched hand. She turned to reach for Alphonse but swayed and collapsed. Al caught her and swept her up bridal style.

"Colonel, I think I'm going to take Sadie back to our hotel room. She looks exhausted." Roy nodded.

"I'm coming, too." Ed said passionately, Mustang shook his head.

"Fullmetal, I need you here to help discern the evidence." Edward opened his mouth to argue but the Colonel raised his hand.

"If we're going to protect Miss Adams from the Homunculus then we're going to need your help. You've dealt with them before, so your insight will be useful."

"Al's fought them, too!" Edward protested, trying a humorous angle. "Why are you letting him get away with Sadie? Who knows what dastardly plans-"

"Brother," Alphonse called behind him, amused, "I'm a suit of armor, there's not much I can do." Ed slumped, defeated.

"Fine, Mustang." The Flame Alchemist patted Fullmetal on the back good naturedly,

"That's the spirit."

Sadie's eyes fluttered open to darkness. She flailed, but her movements were restrained by something thick.

"Ed? Al! Help!" She shouted desperately. She heard loud, thudding footsteps coming towards her. Alphonse threw the door open.

"Sadie! Sadie what happened!" He flipped a switch, and bright light attacked Sadie's eyes. When her vision cleared she saw that she was lying on the couch in the Elrics' hotel/ apartment room. She was wrapped in a quilt, which explained the bindings. With a squeak Sadie rolled off the couch, still trapped in the blanket.

Alphonse laughed and righted her, disentangling her limbs from the fabric. Sadie groaned and sank back onto the couch.

"My head feels like its being split in two. What happened, Al?" The armor explained the events of their lunch outing and its disturbance, then her self-rescue from Envy.

"So he's the one that killed Winry?"

"I- yeah. He did it." Sadie punched the leather armrest.

"That bastard! He's caused you and Ed so much grief. I swear next time I see him I'm going to hit him so hard-"She was standing, now. Angrily proclaiming her threats to the walls, who quite frankly didn't care.

Sadie swayed violently and Alphonse caught her, laying her back onto the couch.

"Where's Ed?" She asked. The younger Elric shrugged.

"I think he's still at the café with Colonel Mustang. They were trying to collect evidence. I have to say, Brother was really put out when I took you home. He wanted to come too." The suit elbowed Sadie in the side lightly. She laughed weakly.

"That stupid jerk. He's always so selfless. It's his flaw, but I guess he really is a Hero of the People." They sat in an awkward silence for a few moments until a knock sounded at the door. Al and Sadie both sprang to answer it and as a result both tripped over the coffee table, accidentally wrapping them up in the quilt. The door cracked open, and Sadie could see a shocked Edward standing in the doorway with Roy behind him.

"Alphonse you sick little twisted piece of metal!" Ed shouted at his brother upon seeing the two of them tangled on the floor. Sadie tried to stand but Alphonse's efforts to calm his brother dragged them both down to the floor. She collapsed in giggles. Ed fumed. Then he smiled.

"You guys gave it your best shot." The two on the floor erupted again in rolls of laughter. Even Mustang sniggered behind a glove. Edward yanked the quilt up, sending its two captives tumbling onto the floor. Sadie made it to her feet and staggered heavily. Ed guided her to the couch, all levity gone.

"You need rest." Mustang interjected before Edward could speak. Sadie groaned.

"I'm fine. I just feel drained, that's all." Ed nodded, gently touching the bruise Envy inflicted on Sadie's cheek. She flinched.

"The alchemy you produced when you fought off Envy was amazingly powerful. I'm surprised-"

"I'm surprised it didn't kill you, Miss Adams." Roy broke in again; Ed glared at him, and then returned to attending Sadie.

"What color was it?" She whispered.

"Black." Ed and Mustang said together. Sadie shuddered,

"I've never made alchemy like that before. All I remember is him burning-"She buried her face in her hands with a sob.

"I'm a murderer." Ed and Al were shocked,

"_No_, you're definitely not a murderer, Sadie. Envy survived your alchemy, so you didn't kill anyone." Al soothed her. She lifted her pale face from her hands,

"I remember things, now. I remember Ryan, and the alchemy, and the silver light, and a Gate…" She trailed off as the other three looked sharply at her. Edward knelt in front of Sadie.

"What did you see? Did you go inside the Gate?" She shook her head.

"There was a boy. He was there but not there- like if you looked directly at him he would vanish. He told me-"She concentrated for a moment, as if looking for a memory. "He said everything is equal, and that I had to pay for even seeing him." Alphonse's sharp intake of breath broke the tense silence.

"Then it all goes white."

After Mustang and his entourage left Al and Ed tried to console Sadie, who was slowly recovering from the day's events.

"Do you have a place to crash tonight?" Edward asked Sadie. She grimaced,

"Actually no. The hotel I was staying at kicked me out because I blasted a guy with a gun off a balcony." Alphonse snorted.

Ed was still kneeling in front of Sadie, so when she looked up she was staring into the alchemist's intense gold eyes. His jaw set, and his eyes hardened.

"No,"

"_No_? But Brother! You can't just leave her out in the street! I thought you liked Sadie!" Ed rose and walked over to the small bed in the corner.

"I said no, Al." He began taking off his boots.

"Ed, just one night, please?" Edward turned to his brother, who was trying to comfort Sadie. Even with her back to him, he could see her body being racked by sobs. He sighed and ran a hand through his bangs.

"_One night_, Alphonse. Then we'll get you a real room somewhere else, alright, Sadie?" He called to her. She sniffed tragically and then she _giggled_. Alphonse laughed, too.

"_Yes_! Sadie, it worked!" Ed's jaw dropped.

Seriously?

He'd just been duped by his baby brother and a _blonde_.

_Yeah well you're not one to talk about blonde IQ's._ Ed thought to himself. Sadie stood from the couch, a wide grin spreading across her face. _Winry's grin_, Ed couldn't help but think.

"We got you, Pipsqueak!" Sadie laughed. Edward lunged at her over the couch; she screamed in terror and jumped away- still terrified of Edward's wrath- but smiled when she saw the small grin on Edward's lips and the way he laughed under his mock anger.

"_Who the hell are you calling small?_"

**A.N.- I thought that was a nice way to end it. A little bit was revealed about Sadie's past and we got some humor in there, too. I did it, you guys. I survived 7****th**** Grade! I'm officially awesome. **

**(NOTE: That was RHETORICAL!) So comment, favorite, follow- do what you gotta do. And comment if you have any plot ideas! The guy named Ryan is in honor of my deceased brother so there won't be any name changes- sorry folks. What should happen next time Envy shows up? I don't know. (Even though I should- oh well.) IDEAS YOU GUYS! Love you all.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A.N.- Wo-ow. We're into the double digit chapters, now. Thanks for sticking with the story so far I know it's been a drag but thanks- It'll speed up. Oh yeah, I've also decided to add the Shou Tucker and Nina arc into this story. I'm cutting up the plots of the original FMA and FMA Brotherhood and dropping them in a blender with my ideas. This will be interesting.**

**A shout out to Jess, who posted a guest review- I know right!? It seemed like such a long year but it was actually so short! Enjoy 7****th**** grade, we are survivors! *DJ Plays Eye of The Tiger remix***

**Enjoy!**

The Sunset Alchemist, Ch 10

"Wake up! Ed, wake up!" Someone was shaking him. Not fun. Edward rolled over with a polite, "go-the-hell-away-I'm-sleeping," grunt. Then Alphonse dragged his older brother off of the couch by his automail foot and held him by the heel six feet off the ground. Sadie grabbed a spray bottle and sprayed water into the alchemist's open mouth. Edward spluttered and choked himself awake.

Al dropped him for good measure. On the couch, of course.

After much swearing on Ed's part and much scolding on Al's, the trio set off to find breakfast.

"Don't forget," Ed warned Sadie, "We're finding you a new hotel room, too. I'm not sleeping on the couch again." Sadie just smiled sweetly at him, which made his insides crumble. They stopped at a bakery and bought two Danish sweet rolls. Ed and Sadie devoured them in a second.

"Now we've got to go get this damn piece of machinery fixed." Edward grumbled. Sadie had forgotten how Envy had maimed Ed's automail arm when Ed protected her the day before.

Now she felt guilty.

There was a small automail servicing shop that Edward ducked into, leaving Alphonse and Sadie outside. They nonchalantly perused the kiosks along the street, avoiding screaming merchants and shouting hagglers.

"Look at these, Sadie!" Alphonse exclaimed, dragging his companion to a booth selling candied nuts and strange brooches. Al made Sadie buy a bag, much to the lady running the booth's delight, and asked her how they tasted.

"I dunno," She mumbled through a mouthful of nuts, I guess they're good-"Alphonse produced a notebook from the depths of his armor and opened it.

"Candied nuts," He muttered, scribbling it down furiously, "I'll eat these, too when I have my body back." Sadie peered over Alphonse's shoulder at the notebook. He had written down things such as

_Blueberry tart,_

_Grilled Salmon_, and

_Mrs. Hughes' Apple Pie._

"God, Al. You're going to gain a bunch of weight when you get your body back." Al appreciated that she said _when_- not _if_.

"Alright," Ed said, emerging out of the shop and resting his arms behind his head. "Where to next?"

"That was fast," Sadie commented. Ed scowled.

"There were only a few cut wires. That bastard could have completely destroyed-"

"But he didn't, so let's keep looking around!" Alphonse supplied cheerfully, trying to keep the mood light. Sadie walked silently behind Alphonse and Ed, rarely answering his falsely enthusiastic questions. Edward just scowled and grimaced at all the happy tourists passing by.

A brown haired military officer sprinted to the Elrics and saluted.

"Fullmetal, Colonel Mustang has requested your presence at Central Command at the most convenient moment." He gasped, almost out of breath.

Edward scowled again.

"What the hell does he want?" The panting officer gave an undignified shrug.

"He said it was urgent, and that 'convenient moment' meant _now_." Ed shrugged,

"I'll go see him when I'm ready. I don't have to come at his every beck and-"Alphonse scooped his brother up and threw him over his shoulder in a most undignified way.

"Put me down, Al! Now! You can't force me to see that Military bastard!" Sadie snickered, and Ed turned his view to her.

"Why the hell are you standing there?" He hissed, "Don't let him take me to Mustang!" Sadie could actually see underneath Edward's pliable anger certain tenacity to confront the Flame Alchemist.

"It'll be fine," She said to the squirming State Alchemist, "I'll be your backbone, today." At this Ed went limp and Alphonse set him back on the ground.

"Fine, but I'm going because I wanna; not because he wants me to." He huffed, sounding much like a child wanting for an excuse. The terrified young officer then proceeded to shakily lead the Elrics and Sadie into Command.

"There you are, Fullmetal." Mustang greeted the three alchemists when they arrived. "About time you got here. I have paperwork due."

"Save it," Ed growled, bristled and riled- completely prepared for a Mustang conversation and interrogation. "Why'd you call us up here, now?"

Roy's hard stare softened, and he clasped his hands together on his mahogany desktop.

"We're reopening the case."

Al and Sadie gasped, overjoyed and surprised at the same time; but Edward was in shock.

They were reopening the case.

Reopening.

Finally.

"The encounter with the Homunculus Envy the other day aroused the Fuhrer's interest. When I presented the information we had gathered he agreed to resume the inspection." Mustang explained. A small smile tugged at Ed's mouth. "On one condition," Roy continued, "Fuhrer Bradley requested that Sadie join the military as a State Alchemist." Ed grinned,

"Sure, whatever you say. I'm assigned to the case, right?"

"Yes, but I was telling Miss Adams of the Fuhrer's condition." He stared pointedly at Sadie, warning her of a career of servitude. She caught his glance and understood it entirely; but this made Edward so happy- and then she could also study and perfect her alchemy while fulfilling her promise to Ryan.

_What promise?_ She thought, _I don't remember any of that, just that night…_ Mustang snapped his fingers with an ungloved hand. Sadie jumped.

"Your decision, Miss Adams?" Sadie looked at Edward, who was bouncing on the balls of his feet with enthusiasm, and then turned to Alphonse.

"Should I?" The empty suit shrugged.

"It's your choice. I won't force you into anything you don't want. Neither will Brother." He cut a look to Ed, he didn't see it.

"I will," She said strongly, "I accept the Fuhrer's terms." Mustang sighed dejectedly, and Edward let out a whoop.

"Al, we're back on the case! We're going to nail that goddamn son of a bitch to the wall! We've got him!" Alphonse laughed nervously. The young officer who had escorted the three to Mustang smiled.

Perfect.

"Brother, aren't you acting a little too excited? It's Winry's murder." Al asked Edward as they strolled down the white Central halls. Ed laughed carelessly.

"Of course not, Al. This is great news! We can deal with Envy once and for all…" He continued on, and his younger brother couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

_Brother hasn't opened his eyes yet to what the case being resumed really means,_ He thought, _He's going to be slammed with grief again as soon as the euphoria wears off._ Al sighed; he'd be there for Ed, especially when it happened.

"I wonder how Sadie is." The suit asked, trying to distract Edward with a question. As soon as she had given her answer Mustang had received orders to send her to the Fuhrer's office. The girl had gone compliantly, but she cast a terrified glance back to Alphonse before the double doors swung shut behind her and the officer. Edward shrugged again.

"Dunno, but hey, even she's happy. She got accepted as a State Alchemist- what she's wanted for a long time now, right?" If Al's suit would have allowed him to frown, he would have.

"I don't like how Fuhrer Bradley just accepted her as a State Alchemist; I mean she didn't have to pass the qualifying test or anything like what you did."

"Maybe the requirements have changed." Alphonse shook his head.

"I doubt it, Brother, I really doubt it."

Sadie followed quietly behind the blue clad man in front of her. They passed other soldiers in the halls; they all pointed and whispered about her. She knew it.

_I guess you can't keep secrets, not even in a place this big._ She thought monotonously. The soldier threw open mammoth floor to ceiling doors and escorted her into a vast lobby. He steered Sadie up to the desk where a receptionist was filing papers.

"Sadie Adams to see the Fuhrer," He stated for her. Sadie cut her eyes to him. This guy was weird, she couldn't exactly explain it- but he was weird. The secretary admitted them to another room even larger than the lobby.

Sadie gasped.

"I'm glad you like it," said a smooth voice. Towards the towering windows there was a large desk with an even larger chair behind it. The chair spun around, revealing its occupant to be a middle aged man with an eye patch over his left eye.

"Welcome, Miss Adams." The Fuhrer smiled at her. Sadie gulped. This was the Head of the Military- the King of Amestris. He could have her killed with one nod of his head. The Fuhrer seemed to read her thoughts because he laughed and said,

"Don't be afraid, Miss Adams. I don't bite, come and have a seat." He pointed to the couches adorning the space between them. Sadie sat timidly on the edge of the cushion of the couch closest to the grand desk.

"Sir," She began, "Why-"

"Why did I accept you as a State Alchemist? Simple," He waved his hand in the air, "Colonel Mustang informed me of your strong alchemy. I believe that with training your alchemy could become more controlled and stronger. We would be privileged to have you in our ranks." Sadie shifted, this couldn't be right; wasn't there a test to pass? A demonstration, maybe?

"Sir, isn't there a test all State Alchemists have to pass to receive their certification?" Bradley paused for a moment, and then he smiled.

"Of course, I'm sorry; I almost forgot to mention that. Miss Adams, would you please show us an example of your alchemy?" Sadie nodded and stood, painfully aware of the young soldier and the Fuhrer of Amestris watching her intently. She took a deep breath and pressed her hands to the plush red carpet.

Multicolor sparks flew and danced around Sadie's hands as the floor began to melt and rise. At a glance from Bradley, the officer drew a sidearm and rushed her. Sadie looked up from her work and shouted at him. Her forming item shifted suddenly into a staff as she whipped it up and caught the man a blow to the side of the head.

"Shit," She heard him mutter as he stood from the floor.

"Are you alright?" She called to him, not daring to relinquish her staff just yet. Bradley laughed and clapped.

"Miss Adams, I am pleased to say that you have passed our State Alchemy exam! Now for a name…" Sadie fidgeted, glancing back and forth between the Fuhrer and the boy on the ground. He was stumbling into a corner, muttering to himself, and Sadie was afraid she had done him mental damage.

"How about the Rainbow Alchemist?" The Fuhrer suggested, he laughed at the ill-concealed look on Sadie's face. "No- I suppose not. Something to offset those sparks you put off during your transmutation…."

"Sunset?" Sadie supplied timidly, Bradley smiled and nodded.

"Sunset it is. Welcome, Sadie Adams- the Sunset Alchemist!"

"What the hell, Wrath! She beat the shit out of my head with her fucking stick!" The officer complained, staggering around the Fuhrer's office. "Do you know how hard it was to keep from healing in front of her? Why the hell did you make her demonstrate that way?" His short brown hair lengthened and spread, tinting itself with evergreen. His blue eyes darkened as maroon shot into them surprisingly fast.

"Patience, Envy." Bradley scolded, "It's all in Father's plan. Now that we have Fullmetal's new Rockbell under our control and supervision the rest is all too easy." Envy rubbed his head.

"Fucking idiot," He muttered. "You didn't admit her into service for her alchemy- that's just a sidebar." Bradley had his back turned and was looking out the windows into the courtyard. There he could see the newest State Alchemist run to greet the Elrics. Together they left.

"All too easy," He whispered.

**A.N.- Meh. I know, what kind of effing Exam was that!? But remember, Bradley didn't admit Sadie for her alchemic talent (of which she has very little at this point), he did it to trap her close to him, like what he did with Riza for Mustang- almost. I'm giving too much away as it is, sorry. Do you think Ed is too happy for Winry's case to be reopened? I do. It was a mistake making him so euphoric but I'm too lazy to go back and change it so I'll just do more work tearing that euphoria down. * evil laugh ***

**Ed: Oh my GOD!**

**Al: *shudders***

**Sadie: Run, run you fools!**

**Me: AHAHAHAHA! Comment and review please! I need feedback and critiques. Love you all!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A.N.- Here's my screwed up Shou Tucker arc. When I saw this episode for the first time I thought about my dad transmuting me into my fluffy German Shepherd and I swear to God, I broke down crying. Even now I still skip these episodes in FMA and FMA Brotherhood. Shou Tucker is an a$$h0le. Everybody knows it.**

**Enjoy you guys. I put in a Sadie/ Ed moment. XD 3**

The Sunset Alchemist, Ch 11

"Fullmetal! Sunset! Wait!" Fury sprinted out of the Central doors as the trio of alchemists was leaving.

"Here," He thrust a slip of paper at Alphonse, who took it. "Colonel Mustang said to stay there with- with the Sewing Life Alchemist Shout Tucker. He said- said that you would be able to research Sunset's alchemy and stay there if you wanted." With that he saluted and ran back inside.

"That was new; Mr. High-And-Mighty must've come up with that one at the last minute." Ed scoffed. Al knocked his brother lightly on the head.

"We should go look at it, it could give us some more leads on how Sadie doesn't clap her hands like us or use a transmutation circle. What do you think, Sadie?" She grinned at him and gave a thumbs up.

"Let's do it."

The house was huge. It towered above the three and cast an enormous shadow over all of them. Ed stepped out into the sunlight only to be covered in shade again. He looked up to see a large, white St. Bernard sailing over him. He screeched, and Sadie and Al laughed as the big animal tacked him to the ground, licking his face furiously.

"Alexander, don't jump on the small man!" A high pitched voice from inside the house scolded. A small girl with two brown braids and a blue jumper hopped out of the house.

"Silly doggie!"

"Your 'silly doggie' is choking me!" Ed shouted under the mass of fur that was suffocating him.

"Alexander. _Off_." A stern voice commanded, Alphonse and Sadie turned to see a middle-aged man standing in the doorway. The white dog complied and shuffled off of Ed, but not before licking him senseless. The man rubbed the back of his neck absentmindedly.

"I'm Shou Tucker, the Sewing Life Alchemist. How can I help you?"

"Um, well I'm Alphonse Elric, and this is Sadie Adams." Alphonse introduced himself and Sadie,

"Yeah, and I'm his brother, Edward Elric." Ed claimed cockily after rising from the ground. He pointed at himself. Tucker nodded.

"The Fullmetal Alchemist, huh? I've heard stories about you, Edward Elric." This surprised Ed, who was bristled and ready to shout at whoever called his brother by his own title.

"I- yeah, thanks." Ed stared at the ground.

"Colonel Mustang sent us down here with a note." Al said. He passed the paper to Tucker, who scanned it quickly. "He said we could read up on Sadie's alchemy and research other topics as well."

"Ah and why do you want to research your alchemy, Miss?" Tucker said to Sadie. She rubbed her upper arm like it was cold outside in the summer heat.

"I just became a certified State Alchemist today, but my alchemy is unstable. I want to learn how to become a stronger and better alchemist." The Sewing Life Alchemist nodded as if that explained everything in the world.

"Well please come inside. Nina, Alexander." The little girl and the dog bounded into the depths of the house. Tucker opened the door wider to admit his sudden guests. They entered willingly.

"This food is delicious," Ed mumbled through a mouthful of mashed potatoes. Sadie laughed and ate corn. Alphonse sat at the table between Sadie and his brother and ate nothing.

"Big Bwother, why won't you eat?" The suit realized that the little girl, Nina was speaking to him. Ed and Sadie stopped eating, concerned about his answer. Alphonse laughed lightly and responded,

"I already ate, but thank you, Nina." She smiled at him and resumed eating her little sandwich. A few minutes later Edward choked on his food.

"Did you call _him _'Big Brother'?" He asked menacingly. The four year old smiled at him sweetly.

"Big Bwother, Little Bwother." She said, pointing from Alphonse to Ed. He fumed and readied a spoonful of mashed potatoes to fling at the little girl but Sadie's elbow accidentally ended up in his stomach. Tucker laughed quietly at the ensuing drama.

After the meal, the Elrics and Sadie were shown into Tucker's private library.

"I'm certain there are some books here that will help you with your research," He said fondly, ushering Nina and Alexander out of the room. Edward immediately plucked a book from the nearest shelf and sank to the floor to read. Alphonse perused the aisles with Sadie, looking for books on strange or foreign alchemy. They sat down with two armfuls of books on the subject and began reading them.

"Al, if there's something else you want to read up on, I'm fine finishing these by myself." Sadie told the armor, he shook his head.

"There's nothing better I'd rather do." They resumed reading. After about two hours the library door creaked open, and the three alchemists could hear a loud,

"Sssh! Quiet, Alexander!"

Sadie grinned mischievously at Ed and Al and quietly placed her book on the floor. She slipped behind a bookcase and all was quiet. Ed turned to his younger brother,

"What the h-"A sudden squeal followed by Alexander's barking startled both the Elrics. They jumped to their feet and raced around the corner to see Sadie tickling Nina and fending off a playful Alexander at the same time.

"Al, a damsel needs our assistance!" Ed shot a cheeky look at his brother before joining the tussle. Alphonse joined in as well. Sadie screamed with laughter and Nina giggled uncontrollably.

Eventually Al, Ed, Nina, Sadie, and Alexander all collapsed on the wood floor, panting insanely. They all laughed until Shou Tucker opened the doors to see his guests, daughter, and dog all strewn on the floor.

"It's time for bed, Nina." Tucker scolded. Nina pouted and stood, but dragged Sadie into a sitting position.

"I want Sister to sleep in my room!" She said defiantly. Tucker looked imploringly at the young State Alchemist and she shrugged.

"If it's okay with your father I'm fine with it." Nina cheered.

Alphonse and Edward resided in the guest bedroom, while Sadie slept on a soft mattress beside Nina's bed. Around midnight a scrambling sound on the roof woke Sadie from a light sleep. She checked on Nina, who was still sleeping soundly and walked out into the hall. Empty. Teal light flickered around her hands as Sadie moved cautiously down the hall. She saw an open window, with lavender curtains fluttering in the breeze. As she moved closer, the Sunset Alchemist could hear someone singing.

_How can I repay you, brother mine?_

_How can I expect you to forgive?_

_Clinging to the past I shed of blood,_

_And shattered your chance to live._

It was _Ed_! He was sitting on Shou Tucker's roof, singing into the night air.

_Though I knew the laws I paid no heed._

_How can I return your wasted breath._

_What I did not know has cost you dear,_

_For there is no cure for death._

Sadie extinguished the light in her palms and climbed onto the roof. Ed was sitting with his back to her, shirtless, with his knees under his chin.

_Beautiful Mother soft and sweet,_

_Once you were gone we were not complete._

_Back through the years we've reached for you_

_Alas was not meant to be._

"Ed?" He whirled around, blushing furiously in the light of Central at night.

"Shit- S- Sadie! What the hell are you doing up here!" She felt ashamed for intruding on Fullmetal's privacy.

"I heard someone on the roof so I got up to investigate." She said simply. Ed's face returned to normal, then flushed again.

"Did you hear-"

"Yeah,"

"Oh." Then he sighed.

"I feel responsible for what happened to Al. It's my fault he lost his body and I'm lucky I could pull back his soul." He lay back on the slope of the roof, Sadie joined him.

"It wasn't your fault," She said softly, "You both wanted to see your mother again so you did the unthinkable." Ed closed his eyes and tilted his head to the sky.

"I guess," Sadie didn't know what to do; she was just a bad memory to the Elrics, a walking reincarnation of who they had lost. She couldn't help them with something the real Winry had. She couldn't.

"You know, sometimes letting your feelings show isn't such a bad thing, Ed." She said quietly.

He didn't answer.

She sighed.

_Beautiful Brother, soft and sweet._

_Once you were gone, I wasn't complete._

_Back through my tears I reached for you,_

_But was never meant to be._

Ed stared at her in shock. She was singing. That was so… un-Sadie-like.

He joined in.

_My dreams may be blind and mute._

_I long to return to that time_

_I follow without a word,_

_My brother the fault is mine._

They took a simultaneous breath.

_So where do we go from here? _

_And how to forget and forgive?_

_What's gone is forever gone,_

_Now all we can do is live._

Sadie inhaled sharply, and Edward realized that she was crying. Tears tracked their way down her face.

Damn, he had made her cry again.

"Sadie-"He broke off as she turned to him, "I'm sorry. I guess deep down I really was trying to fix the spot where Winry was with you. It was stupid of me." He leaned towards her, but she didn't shy away from him like she normally did. She just stared into his gold eyes. Needing comfort. Ed put his hand on her shoulder and gently pulled her to him. They leaned closer together. Her eyes closed, and Ed had no idea what to do.

He fell asleep.

"What the_ hell _are you two doing?" Alphonse shouted at them. Ed started awake to find himself still on the roof; Sadie curled up next to him.

"I- Al, it's not what you think!" He spluttered, accidentally waking up Sadie. She groaned and sat up, rubbing her eyes. Then she saw Ed.

"HOLY SHIT!" And with that she rolled off the roof.

"Sadie!" Ed vaulted after her, and Alphonse knelt by the edge. Sadie's hands scraped the wall furiously as she slid down. Gold sparks shot from her hands, producing spikes and steps along the vertical wall that she narrowly avoided.

Ed clapped his hands and slammed them against the house. Sadie pressed her hands to the brick in a last attempt and snagged on a rain pipe. It twisted out horizontally and she caught herself on it. She shouted in pain as her arm was almost torn out of its socket.

"Sadie!" She looked up to Ed to see a panicked look on her face. The drainpipe began to give way. Sadie slid own a few more feet and fell into a bush. Ed dropped the last few remaining feet and ran to her.

"Sadie! Sadie!" A fist shot out of the shrubbery and collided with Edward's stomach, making him stagger slightly.

"Why the hell were we on the roof? And where is your _shirt_, Ed!" His mouth dropped.

"You just dropped from a building, and _that's_ what you're worried about? Me shirtless?" Edward started laughing hysterically. And eventually Sadie did as well. Ed pulled her from the bush and onto ground. She stumbled clumsily and bumped into him.

"Sorry," She muttered.

He laughed.

"Brother, Sadie!" Al shouted at the two when he emerged from the house, having taken the steps down. Nina trailed after him sleepily.

"Eew! Little Bwother! You need a shirt!" They all laughed.

"Brother, why the h-"Al started. Ed held up his hand,

"Filter, Al. Nina's here." The little girl turned to Sadie.

"Sister, why did you not sweep with me?" Sadie knelt down to Nina's level.

"I did, Nina. I promise. I just got up early to talk to Little Brother." Nina sniffed,

"But you'll sweep with me tonight. Pwomise?"

"Promise." Shou Tucker emerged from the house in a robe with a cup of coffee. He yawned,

"It's five thirty in the morning, what's all the commotion about?" The alchemists spluttered but Nina said,

"Sister fell off the roof! And Little Bwother caught her!"

"He dropped me, actually." Sadie muttered. Tucker looked surprised.

"Alright… Fullmetal, Sunset, what are your plans for today?"

"I wanted to go into town today." Al suggested,

"Me, too." Sadie admitted.

"Whatever," Ed grumbled. Al punched his brother in the shoulder.

"Before we go anywhere you need a shirt."

The market was unusually empty. Sadie clutched a shopping list from Tucker.

"Jeez, this is a million miles long." She complained.

"You and Brother ate most of Mr. Tucker's food, Sadie." Al admonished her. She ducked her head.

"Ed ate the potatoes." Ed laughed.

_They really are good for each other._ Alphonse thought happily. _We're like a family. And Sadie isn't scared of Brother anymore._

"Hey Al! You coming?" Edward called to his brother. The suit nodded and jogged to catch up.

"I'm coming!"

"_Nina, come here."_

"_What is it, Daddy?"_

"_You know Daddy has to have a project so he can keep his certification and we can keep this nice house?"_

"_Yes, Daddy."_

"_Nina, call Alexander in her for a moment."_

"_Okay! I love you Daddy!"_

"_I love you, too, Sweetheart."_

"Hey, Mr. Tucker! We're back!"

"Mr. Tucker!" It had started to rain. Actually, it had started to pour. Ed had lent Sadie his vibrant cloak and she wore it back to the Tucker house.

"Back here," The three alchemists hurried into Shou Tucker's library and stopped. It was dark.

"Mr. Tucker?" Ed called, walking between the shelves, Al and Sadie did the same.

"Brother, Sadie!" Alphonse called, "I found Mr. Tucker." The other two hurried to the center of the library. Shou Tucker was there, waiting with a strange humanoid creature.

"Children, this is my project that will allow me to remain certified as a State Alchemist for another year." He said quietly. "A Chimera." Ed bent down to inspect the creature.

"No way! Nobody's made a successful chimera before! This is amazing, Tucker!" The man laughed quietly.

"What's a chimera?" Sadie asked. Ed looked up enthusiastically.

"A mixture of a human and animal. Like a hybrid."

"That's cruel." She said with disgust. Then she looked around, "Mr. Tucker, where's Nina? I'll go entertain her while you play with your science experiment."

He didn't answer.

"Mr. Tucker? Where's Nina?"

"And where's Alexander?" Alphonse asked. Edward frowned.

"_Mr. Tucker_. Where is your daughter?" He asked.

"Sis-ter-"The moan resonated throughout the library. Sadie gasped. "Sis-ter." The chimera spoke again.

"It talks!" She exclaimed. Tucker laughed.

"Of course it talks." He bent down next to the creature. "Do you see that? That's Sadie, your big sister." Sadie frowned, what? The chimera raised its head and slowly padded over to Sadie.

"Sis-ter. Will you play?"

_No._

_No!_

_NO!_

Sadie's eyes widened. This- this thing.

_Nina!_

Sadie screamed and sank to her knees. Ed and Alphonse moved towards her.

"That- that's _Nina_!" She choked. Tucker made a clucking noise,

"And Alexander, we mustn't forget him."

Sadie retched.

Ed's pupils shrank. Alphonse gasped.

"Oh _Nina_…"

"You bastard!" Edward rushed Tucker, landing blows on every available inch of skin he could get to.

"You transmuted your _daughter_! You fucking mentalist! You just as good as killed her!" The Sewing Life Alchemist laughed.

"I suppose I did. It's a good thing none of you ever asked if I had a wife!" Ed's eyes widened. He resumed beating the scientist.

"Why? _Why_? Tucker what the hell have you done?" Sadie whispered, wiping bile from the corner of her mouth. Al picked her up gently. She retched over his back. Edward had the Sewing Life Alchemist held against a wall and was punching him ferociously. A spatter of Tucker's blood smeared on Ed's cheek. He felt a tug on his sleeve. It was Nina/ Alexander.

"Little Bwo-ther. Don't hurt Dad-dy." It pleaded. Ed's breath cam in short pants. Tucker's blood stained his face and his golden hair.

"Pwease." The chimera asked.

"Ed," Sadie pleaded from across the room. Her eyes were haggard, and she looked as if Ed had been beating her. He released Tucker, who slid to the ground, unconscious. Then Ed fell to his knees in front of the chimera.

"Nina. Alexander." He whispered, "I'm so sorry- I couldn't save you at all. I'm sorry!" He buried his face into the beast's brown mane, weeping tears of anguish. Sadie turned her head and cried into Alphonse's shoulder. Al took shuddering breaths- to be strong for Sadie and his brother. Nina/ Alexander raised its head.

"Don't cry- Little Bwoth-er."

**A.N.- Oh my god this makes me cry. I watched both of these scenes for you guys. Original FMA and FMA Brotherhood just to make sure I got details right. Be happy I love you guys so much. I'm almost in tears. I changed the speech and all because I wanted to- trust me- it's on purpose. Look up the English dub of "Brother". Vic Myagoa- Ed's English voice actor sings it. Sadie changed the words to fit her tragic past and dead brother, Ryan. Well, now I have double depression to pull Ed out of and normal depression to yank Al and Sadie out of. This sucks. What have I done? Enjoy. I wrote this at 1:00 in the morning- it's better be appreciated! ;-) Love you all and goodnight! Comment!**


	12. Chapter 12

The Sunset Alchemist, Ch 12

It was pouring. The rain pelted down on the rooves of the Military vehicles in front of Shou Tucker's house. Sadie sat on the tailgate of one of the trucks, shivering in Ed's soaked red coat. Alphonse sat beside her and rubbed her back, trying to soothe her tears. Every few minutes or so she would retch onto the dirt at her feet until there was nothing but acid in her stomach. Edward sat in the mud by the walls surrounding the house and sobbed. He didn't save her, Nina. He could have taken her with them, and kept her safe from her father's grasp; but he didn't, and now she was gone.

"The Sewing Life Alchemist is secure, Sir." A soldier shouted by the gates, standing at attention.

"Good," A tall dark skinned man clearly decorated as a Brigadier General answered. His hands were clasped behind his back but Ed could see two silver gauntlets on his hands with transmutation circles embedded in the metal. The man noticed Edward's staring and looked down at him disapprovingly.

"What, boy? Have you never seen a State Alchemist before?"

"We are State Alchemists," Edward said roughly, pointing at him, then Sadie. The tall alchemist inspected him for a moment, and then inclined his head.

"Brigadier General Basque Grand at your service." He intoned, "Now if you'll excuse me I have to deal with this _miscreant_ inside." Ed's eyes narrowed,

"Let me come," He all but pleaded. "Tucker needs to pay for what he's done I need-"

"You need to do nothing." Grand interrupted him, "From what I've heard you've already left your mark on the Sewing Life Alchemist, haven't you?" Ed stood his ground.

"I was avenging his daughter." Grand threw back his head and laughed, and Edward had a sudden desire to punch the Brigadier General in the gut.

"No, Fullmetal." The older alchemist surprised Ed by using his title. "I order you to stay outside."

"But-"

"_I outrank you, boy. You will follow orders._" Grand growled threatingly. Edward grit his teeth as the Iron Blood Alchemist disappeared into Shou Tucker's house.

After what seemed like hours, Grand exited the house. He gave a curt nod to the two sentries at the gate and they hefted their guns, ready to pepper anyone who tried to cross the threshold with bullets. Edward sprinted to catch up with Grand in the driving rain.

"What happened to Tucker and Nina?" The Brigadier General scoffed at the younger alchemist.

"They have been dealt with."

"And what does that mean?" Grand glared at Edward, but he didn't flinch.

"They have been dealt with, Fullmetal. Now if you will excuse me-"He pushed by and resumed walking, but Ed saw traces of red on the Iron Blood Alchemist's gauntlets being erased by the rain.

"Grand!" He called after the retreating man. Grand stopped a few paces away and slowly turned.

"What now, Fullmetal?" Edward pointed, angrily.

"Why do you have blood on your hands? Whose is it? Tell me!" The Brigadier General quickly closed the distance between them. With one easy blow he knocked Ed off his feet and let him fall into the mud.

"Don't _ever_ speak to your superiors that way, boy." He spat. Edward coughed violently, and small flecks of red sprayed the dirt.

"Brother!" Alphonse rushed to help his older sibling. Sadie slid off the truck and stumbled over to the Elrics.

"Pathetic," Grand sneered. Ed growled at him furiously but Grand just laughed and disappeared into the pelting rain.

"Edward! Are you alright?" Sadie fell to her knees in the mud beside him, trying to pull him to his feet unsuccessfully. Fullmetal wiped the blood from his mouth and pushed himself up.

"We're paying Nina a visit."

"What? Brother, there are guards! They'd shoot you before you even passed the wall! And I don't think it's a smart choice to see Nina and Mr. Tucker." Alphonse worriedly looked at Sadie, still wrapped in Ed's muddy cloak. She shook her head.

"Al, give me a boost over the wall right here." Edward rounded a corner out of the guards' line of vision and inspected the eight foot wall. The suit reluctantly knelt down and threw his brother into the air until Ed was level with the wall. Edward landed gently on top and turned to his companions.

"Wait here." A few moments later Sadie and Alphonse heard muffled grunts and a clang. Edward poked his head around the corner.

"Clear."

The entire house was dark, so the alchemists had to navigate the entire complex from memory. They were on their way to the library when a small moan attracted their attention from behind a locked door. Edward and Alphonse broke it easily and rushed inside, Sadie trailed behind them.

Large splashes of blood pooled at the alchemists' feet. Sadie covered her mouth with a whimper. Alphonse gasped and shuddered. Edward staggered farther into the room.

Shou Tucker lay collapsed beside a simple wooden chair. It looked as if he had been struck on the head with considerable force.

"I think he's dead." Al said quietly. Sadie whipped her head around frantically.

"Nina! Where's Nina!" A soft whine came from the far corner. Sadie turned and slowly treaded to it.

Nina/ Alexander was huddled against the wall, whimpering quietly. Sadie sank to her knees in front of the chimera and held out her palm. Nina moved her snout forward to sniff Sadie's hand; then she looked up and moaned,

"Sis-ter?" Tears that Sadie had thought she had run out of dashed into her eyes.

"That's right, Nina. I'm Sister." Nina/ Alexander slid down the wall a few inches to lie on the floor and Sadie was horrified to see a smear of crimson on the wallpaper behind her.

"Ed, Al! Nina's hurt!" The Elrics came running over to them.

"What's wrong with her?" Al asked hurriedly.

"Turn her over; I think she's hurt on her other side!" Sadie answered. The chimera growled lightly when Edward or Alphonse attempted to roll her over. She turned to Sadie pleadingly.

"Sis-ter, pwease."

"Let me turn you, Nina, that way Sister can help you get better." Sadie begged. Nina whined softly but complied as Al and Sadie gently rolled the chimera onto its back. Dried and crusted blood matted the fur, and fresh waves of red pulsed out at a quick pace. Sade fell back, gagging, and Ed moved forward to take her place.

"Al, I think her ribs are all broken on this side." He stated, "I'll bet Grand did this…" Ed trailed off angrily, and then he turned to Nina/ Alexander with determination on his face.

"Bear with me, Nina; I'm going to fix you." He raised his hands, ready to clap and transmute, but was stopped by a whisper from across the room.

"You can't do that, Fullmetal." Ed turned to see Shou Tucker clinging to the chair, stained in his own blood.

"Why not?" The Sewing Life Alchemist smiled at Edward's naivety, his teeth were stained red.

"They're fused to the core; you can't separate them now, or you'll just make it worse!" He laughed maniacally. Edward clenched his fists in fury.

"You can't reverse it, Fullmetal. This transmutation is permanent." Nina whimpered softly and Sadie crept back over to the wounded chimera.

"Sis-ter, it hurts bad." It whined, tears leaked from her eyes as she held the maimed animal in her arms.

"Ed, can't you do anything?" Sadie asked him. Her eyes were filled with tears, and it broke his heart to tell her no.

All night the Elrics and Sadie sat in the empty room with Tucker and Nina. Tucker passed on around three from his wounds, and Nina soon after. Sadie slept with Nina in her arms, whispering to the animal words of condolence.

Alphonse gently shook Sadie awake. She stirred and looked down at Nina/ Alexander. The chimera's chest no longer rose and fell with heavy breaths, it- they were dead. Sadie cried into Alphonse's armor again, and Ed walked to the window to give her privacy. He saw about six military vehicles pulling up in front of the Tucker house and soldiers piling out of them.

"We need to go," He told his brother. Al nodded and picked Sadie up gently. She tried to escape his arms and run back to Nina but he wouldn't let her.

"Sadie, she's gone, now. We have to leave." The Sunset Alchemist went limp and allowed herself to be led out the back door of the house and back to the Elrics' room.

Gone. Gone, gone, gone. Nina was gone.

And there was nothing they could do. Alphonse felt so helpless. Nothing he did or said would draw Ed or Sadie out of their depression. They sat around the room, Edward always with his face in his hands, and Sadie shivering and sometimes sobbing.

After three days of darkness, Alphonse gave up on trying to revive his brother and Sadie and succumbed to his own grief.

"Elrics!" Mustang burst through the hotel door loudly, Hawkeye trailing softly behind him. "Where the hell have you been, Fullmetal, Sunset? You have assignments that need to be done down at Command!"

"Colonel," Riza said quietly, eyeing the slumped over alchemists sympathetically. "They don't look to be in fit conditions to work." Edward looked up at Mustang through a gap in his hair.

"What do you want, Roy?" Mustang was surprised that Ed called him by his first name. Hawkeye walked in front of the Flame Alchemist and crouched by Edward's face.

"Is it because of Tucker?" She asked him soothingly. Ed gave a barely perceptible nod and the Lieutenant stood. She walked to Sadie, who was wrapped in a pathetic blanket and sank down beside her on the floor.

Sadie's eyes were red and puffy, and her lips were cracked. Tear tracks stained her face hopelessly, and it was then that Riza felt the depth of her pain.

"Tucker is dead and his daughter as well." Hawkeye said softly. Sadie pressed her palms to her face, trying to forbid tears to spill. "He'll receive a burial, but not one of a State official or alchemist. Nina will be buried as well, wouldn't you like to visit her and say goodbye?" Across the room, Alphonse stirred. Mustang quickly strode over to the suit and tried to speak in comforting tones like his assistant- failingly.

"I think Nina would appreciate it if you came by for the funeral." Riza continued. Sadie raised her head wearily.

"Why would she get a funeral? I thought the State 'dealt with her'." Her voice turned bitter, and tears ran freely down her cheeks.

"It's just us- Mustang's division." Hawkeye amended, "We thought it proper to give her a sendoff like she deserved; Tucker's funeral is being funded and executed by the military. I don't think many people are going."

"We should go, Sadie." Alphonse said suddenly. Edward looked up through his dirty hair at his brother.

"Why, Al? It's like saying 'we couldn't help you, that's why you're dead'." Al sighed,

"Exactly, Brother. We need to acknowledge that it wasn't our fault; we didn't know that Mr. Tucker was going to transmute and create a chimera that day. It wasn't our fault! Sure we could have offered to bring Nina with us, but then Tucker would have insisted that she stay! Nina and Alexander's deaths are not our fault!" He was shouting, now; and Ed and Sadie winced at the first loud noise in quite a few days. "I think it would be good for all of us," Al dropped his voice again, "I mean- we could pay our respects and let go of all this grief dragging us down. Remember, Brother- we have legs, so we need to use them- for Nina." Edward sighed heavily as though the world rested on his shoulders.

"Fine, Al. Whatever you say." The suit turned to Sadie almost pleadingly.

"I think it would be good for you, Sadie- I really do. Please?" He begged of her. After a moment's hesitation she gave a strangled "yes" as an answer. Hawkeye rubbed the younger woman's back before standing and reverting to her military style façade.

"Nina and Alexander were innocent, loving souls," Second Lieutenant Vato Falman stated at the burial of the chimera. "They brought light to those who met them and-"He faltered, not really having met the girl and her dog, and stumbled back from the makeshift podium and back into the small group. The setting sun threw its last fingers of warmth over the ground before the earth would be shrouded in cold darkness. Sadie's mind was being fought over by warm memories of Nina and remorse, guilt, and grief for her terrible end. Nobody walked forward or stepped up to take Falman's place in creating an oral obituary. Alphonse walked forward.

"Nina and her dog, Alexander were amazing," He said strongly, "They had loving hearts, and never saw a rainy day as a dark day. They'd run and splash in the puddles, and they'd bring sunshine wherever they went." Al's voice was thickening, and Sadie took a small step forward. Beside her, Edward's head was bowed. "And I- I think that they both changed all of us, and for those o- of you who didn't have the privilege to meet Nina Tucker and Alexander… I'm sorry." With that the empty suit stood back and clanked back to his spot beside his grieving brother. Sadie took another, larger step forward. The group of Mustang's team and a few other Central-dwellers turned and began to leave; taking it that there was nothing more to be said.

"Wait!" Sadie shouted, stumbling forward. The crowd looked back at her, some of them sympathetically. Sadie stood in front of the congregation, trying to desperately grasp the right words.

"Nina- Nina was a sweet girl, and in the few days I knew her she became like a sister to me. I loved the way she'd look up to me or just smile as she'd bound into a room. She was an amazing little girl, and-" Her eyes teared up, and Sadie brushed at them with irritation. Next thing she knew Ed was standing beside her, grasping her free hand and holding it steady.

"-And none of us will forget her. Ever." He finished strongly for her. The small crowd gave nods of agreement and even a few murmurs of prayer. Sadie turned to look at Ed; he was standing tall beside her in the last rays of the setting sun, his head held high and his eyes focused ready to take on the world. He turned to her with a weak smile and whispered in Sadie's ear. She nodded, and the two of them turned to Nina and Alexander's grave. Edward clapped his hands and Sadie held her palms out in front of her, silver sparks and shocks of lightning arced across the ground at the head of the sepulcher. The earth twisted and danced, remolding into a small statue of Nina embracing her white dog with a content smile on both their faces. A small engraving at the bottom read: _to the ones who loved the world as if it was theirs to hold._ Sadie stood and wiped her eyes, Ed led her back to the group of enthralled and touched onlookers.

They left, in the beginnings of twilight, just before the night froze the ground and the warmth turned cold with warmth in their hearts and light in their souls. Sadie walked with Alphonse and Ed, speaking quietly to them. The two brothers embraced her suddenly, and all the tears spilled once and for all, releasing the grief over Nina forever; but she smiled happily, thankful for the Elrics' comfort.

**A.N.- I have to go, but I hope this was good! My uncle just got married this last weekend and in the pamphlet they mentioned a bunch of dead relatives and I was genuinely shocked to see Ryan Lewis Hobbs there. Love you all and byeee! R&R plz!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A.N.- Arrgh! My sister and brother have been diagnosed with head lice! That's so disgusting!We went and got the whole family checked today- THANK THE LAWD I'M CLEAN! My mom and dad are always yelling at me to share my brush with my little sis and all but now I'm like HA! Now you understand my stinginess! I have a reason to be selfish and stingy now! Ick. I'm so lucky not to be- infested. *shudder* **

**Enjoy, please you guys!**

The Sunset Alchemist, Ch. 13

"Sadie Adams, what a surprise this is." The white figure exclaimed. Its voices echoed in the empty white darkness surrounding them.

"Who are you? " Sadie asked cautiously. It threw back its head and laughed.

"Isn't it obvious? I am _you_." Sadie took a step back.

"No you're not, that's impossible!" It groaned with irritation and annoyance.

"I am everything: You, your brother, the sun, the moon, the stars. I am all, and all is me.

Some people refer to me as God, or Creator, but it's all much simpler than that- I am Truth." It spread its hands and smiled widely at Sadie. She choked on nonexistent smoke. Truth snickered.

"Everything has a price, no? That is Alchemy's rule of thumb- equivalent exchange. So what should I take from you as your payment?" It was silent for a moment, and Sadie wondered if she could escape it by sprinting into the white surroundings. Truth burst out laughing, suddenly; waves of mirth rolling off of its being.

"Don't even try to run, Adams! The fact that you considered it-"It broke off into cruel laughter. When its mirth subsided, Truth spoke low and hard.

"Normally I take from alchemists like you, but in your case I'm going to change that." Sadie felt a glimmer of hope but it just smiled at her.

"Don't get your hopes up- there is still a price for entering the Gate." It pointed behind her, and Sadie turned to see an enormous stone gate inscribed with Latin. Truth continued,

"I'm going to give you something instead, but trust me- it won't be a gift. You'll have to live with and harness this curse to use it correctly." Sadie inhaled sharply,

"What curse?" Truth chuckled,

"You came here because you performed alchemy's one taboo, yes? Human Transmutation."

"Yes, my brother and I." It grinned maliciously,

"Adams, your brother had already passed through his gate and spoken with me, there was nothing I could take or give him." Sadie was horrified.

"What happened to him? Where's Ryan!" She whipped her head around furiously, trying to find her brother.

"He's gone," Truth said simply. Sadie fell to her knees. "But if you master this curse I give you you can return to this Gate and bargain for your older brother's soul." She looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears.

"How- could you!" Truth chuckled again,

"You brought this upon yourself, and your brother did, too. This is your consequence. Your punishment."

"We just- I just wanted it to be alright. I just wanted our family. Please give him back!" It laughed in her face.

"Not a chance. Look for the Fullmetal Alchemist, you might find some promise and help with him." Sadie was shocked.

"A State Alchemist?" The stone Gate behind her swung open surprisingly quickly and pulled her into the internal blackness. Truth looked down at her and smiled.

"You won't remember this for a while, but I hope to see you again soon, Miss Adams."

Sadie awoke with a cry. She struggled to sit upright in bed, panting excessively.

"Sadie what's wrong?" Alphonse was by her side in an instant, being that he never slept. Sadie pushed him away and swung her legs out of the sheets.

"Truth, I saw Truth," She gasped, "That- that memory, after Ryan and I…" She put her face into her hands, sobbing quietly. Al looked over to Edward, who was snoring on the couch and completely oblivious to the scene.

"Sadie, it was just a memory, only a bad dream." The suit tried to comfort her, but Sadie shook her head and cried even harder.

"Ryan, Mom, Dad- they all left. And no matter what I did nothing could bring them back." Alphonse held the sobbing girl in his cold arms, trying to console her tears.

"What did Truth take from you?" He asked her quietly, trying to soothe her by addressing the issue. Sadie gasped and raised her head from his chest.

"It didn't take anything- instead it gave me a curse…. I think it was my alchemy." Alphonse gasped,

"But then why don't you clap your hands like Brother and I do to transmute?" He asked her. Sadie shook her head.

"Believe me- I've tried it. I guess Truth changed my alchemy so I could only transmute when I'm scared or angry; and it said that when I mastered my alchemy I could return to my Gate and get Ryan back." She shuddered and gasped violently but steadied her breathing with a few deep breaths. "It also told me to look for Ed, I guess because the two of you performed Human Transmutation." Alphonse nodded and warily glanced to Ed.

He was still snoring.

"Sadie, who did you try to bring back?" Al asked her quietly. She looked up at the armor and bared her soul.

"My mom and dad were both killed in an automobile accident three years ago;" She began, "After that Ryan took care of me. He was only two years older but we made a living. Ryan introduced me to Alchemy and we began studying it, trying to find a way to bring our parents back." She inhaled deeply and continued.

"One night we made up our minds to try Human Transmutation and bring back our parents. It failed." She said simply. "Ryan was gone, and I have no idea where to. Truth said that he had already passed through his Gate- whatever that means. And he said that you and Ed could help me master my Alchemy" Al looked sympathetically at Sadie.

"And that's why you wanted to become a State Alchemist." She nodded.

"I think Truth took my memories, except for the goal of being a State Alchemist, but when we were attacked by Envy he must've triggered something."

"Maybe it was when you used your Alchemy on him."

"Possibly," Sadie's tears were gone now, replaced by a swift determination. Al saw her look in the gloom and immediately became concerned.

"Sadie, don't do anything stupid; Brother wouldn't like it." She looked at him sharply,

"Why not? If Envy triggered something in my memory once, who's to say it won't happen again?"

"_No_," Al's voice was firm and strong, "You can't just go out looking for him, he'll kill you!" He quickly lowered his voice as Edward rolled over on the couch with a groan.

"Go away, Granny. Lemme sleep till noon."

"Al, look: I have to get Ryan back. This is all I want. Please." She begged him.

"No,"

"Alphonse, why the hell do you care anyway? He's my brother and I'm going to get him back!"

"Because, Sadie. Brother brought me back from the Gate, and look what happened to him." Al said remorsefully, glancing to his older brother sprawled on the couch. Sadie sighed heavily.

"I know, Al; but this is a chance I'm going to have to take. I love my brother, and I'm sure Ed would understand my reasons."

"Sadie, no." Al cut across her speech. "I'm not going to allow you to throw your life away to bring back your dead brother. He's _dead_." His voice had a bitter edge to it, and Sadie felt her eyes sting with tears again. "There's no guarantee that Ryan is even in the Gate anymore, it's been almost two years, Sadie. And think about what will happen to us- to Ed; he really loves you, Sadie, whether you choose to believe it or not- he loves you. You've helped him through Winry's death and you brought him back out into the sunlight. What would happen if you disappeared? Brother would be heartbroken; he'd fall back into depression and never come out again."

"Al, this is all because I look like Winry, isn't it? That's the only reason why Ed's attracted- if you'd even call it that." Alphonse gasped, frustrated and shocked at the same time. "I feel like a replacement sometimes, and I just need to move on. I'm glad I got you two back on your feet but I have to go. I'm really sorry, Al." Sadie pushed herself off the bed and walked past the armor. Alphonse stood to stop her but Sadie whirled around, her palms flaring with bright light.

"Don't Al, just let me go." She whispered, and he could see tears reflected in the light of her Alchemy as she backed out the door.

"Brother! Wake up! Sadie left!" Alphonse shouted at his brother.

"A replacement?" Ed muttered, surprising his brother immensely.

"You were awake? I thought you were sleeping!"

"I was, until your shouting woke me up." Edward grumbled, sitting upright on the couch.

"Brother, we need to stop Sadie before she does something stupid: she's planning on finding Envy and triggering more of her memories to figure out how to bring her older brother back!"

"I heard you, Al." Ed growled, "But it didn't sound like she wanted us to stop her at all." Al was shocked at his brother's indifference.

"Ed, she could get _killed_!"

"Her choice."

"_Edward!"_ Ed glared at his younger brother.

"What difference does it make, Al? If she doesn't want to be around us or anything she'll just run off and instigate Envy to attack her as soon as our backs are turned. I didn't mean to make her feel like a _replacement_." He spat bitterly. Alphonse sighed.

"Let's go. We're going to find her." He stormed to the couch in a very un-Al-like manner and yanked Edward up from the cushion.

"Hell no, Al!"

"Yes."

"No way in hell!"

"_Yes_, Brother. She doesn't know what she's doing!" Edward dug his heels into the carpet but his younger brother still dragged him from the room.

"We're going to find Sadie, whether she likes it or not."

**A.N.- Annnd they're off to find the Sadie, the stupid self-righteous Sadie of Oz! Whoo-hoo! Ed is havng major mood swings, I know but think: if he really did like Sadie, and she just blew him off and said that she hates the way he treats her, he's bound to be irate- not enough to ditch her and leave her for Envy- true- but just mad. And I know Al is a little OOC at the moment but Sadie means a lot to him, too. I don't own FMA/ FMAb- I only own Sadie and her weird-a$$ alchemy. **

**Reviews are always welcome! I've been getting a lot of follows and story favorites- thanks you guys! I'm very honored! Love you all!**


	14. Chapter 14

The Sunset Alchemist, Ch. 14

_Dammit, I was such an idiot. There's no way I can go back to them now._ Sadie thought miserably as she dashed through the almost empty streets of Central in the early dawn.

She hated herself for turning on Al and _threatening _him with her Alchemy.

_Stupid._ She scolded herself harshly. People stared at the blonde sprinting past them as if she was running from something- which in a sense she was.

"Where is that damn Homunculus?' She muttered under her breath when she eventually stopped her run. Sadie looked up and saw that she was about three blocks from Central Command.

_Might as well go talk to Mustang, maybe he can help. _ She thought sadly as she walked towards the grand white fortress.

"I'm glad they're back on their feet, Sir." Hawkeye whispered into Mustang's ear as the two strode down the hall. Roy nodded and continued walking to his office.

"Look, Sunset Colonel Mustang is out and I don't think you can just hang around until he gets back-"

"I have to see him! This is important!" Sadie was confronting Heymans Breda in front of Mustang's double doors. Roy chuckled at the fourteen year old alchemist arguing with the Second Lieutenant good naturedly. Sadie saw him observing the squabble and ran to him.

"Mustang, I need all the information you have on the Homunculus Envy!" She exclaimed breathlessly. Hawkeye shot her superior a concerned glance as he looked Sadie over.

"Why?"

The young alchemist growled in frustration.

"I can't tell you! I just really need the information Roy!" She snapped. Mustang was surprised- Sadie was always so polite….

_Something must be wrong._ He thought, frowning.

"Whoa, Sunset, you're starting to sound like Fullmetal, there." He said with false sarcasm, trying to stall and buy time to figure out what had upset Sadie so. Her firm glare faltered and Mustang, Hawkeye, and Breda could see that she was on edge.

"Sunset, why do you need information on the Homunculus?" Mustang asked her again. Sadie shook her head.

"Just forget it." With that she turned and ran down the hall in the direction from which she had come. Hawkeye rubbed her temples exasperatedly.

"Really, Sir?" Mustang shrugged,

"I guess we could call Fullmetal and tell him that she was here and asking for classified information but I have a feeling he already knows." He said softly, watching Sadie sprint down the hall sympathetically. "Those poor kids."

_Not even Mustang will help me_. Sadie told herself bitterly as she sped by officers and State Alchemists. She rounded a corner and collided with the young brown haired officer who had led her to the Fuhrer's office only a few days ago. He scowled darkly at her, and Sadie was certain he hated her for hitting him during her demonstration.

"The Fuhrer would like to see you, Sunset Alchemist." He muttered to her, turning abruptly and knowing she would follow. Sadie wrung her hands worriedly; she didn't have time for this.

"Can't I see the Fuhrer another time? I have something important I have to-"

"_Now_." The soldier growled at her. Sadie silently followed him to the Fuhrer's office. Again.

"Ah, Sunset, a marvelous surprise to see you here!" Fuhrer Bradley exclaimed when the young officer all but shoved Sadie through the doors and to the grand desk.

"Good morning, Sir." She said nervously. Bradley waved at her happily from his chair.

"I forgot to give this to you after your assessment, Miss Adams. I'm terribly sorry." He slid something metallic over the surface of the desk to Sadie. She picked it up in awe. It was a silver pocket watch.

An Alchemist's watch.

"Oh, thank you, Sir." Sadie said, a bit irate at being detained for a watch. She turned to leave but stopped herself right before reaching the doors.

"Sir, is there any information you would happen to have on Homunculi?" Bradley's unobscured eye glinted dangerously, but he smiled at the girl and, motioned for her to recline in front of his desk again.

"Why do you ask?" Sadie twisted her fingers together nervously, debating whether or not to indulge her story to the King of Amestris.

"I need to track the Homunculus Envy to try and trigger memories on how to bring back my dead brother." She blurted out suddenly. The Fuhrer looked sternly at her.

"You aren't considering Human Transmutation, are you?" Sadie felt herself pale and quickly shook her head, trying not to seem guilty. "Good, because you know that Human Transmutation is forbidden, correct." Bradley pressed his fingers together at the tips. Sadie nodded silently.

"Sir, I was attacked by Envy almost a week ago, and I fought him using my Alchemy; I think that Envy, may have jogged something in my memories from- from a long time ago." Sadie trailed off, looking pleadingly at the King of Amestris. Bradley nodded understandingly, and strode to the double doors.

"The Homunculus you're looking for wouldn't by chance be this one, would it, Miss Adams?" The doors swung open to admit a smirking Envy. Sadie gasped, and her hands were encased in light.

"Sir, he needs to be arrested!" She shouted. Bradley did nothing. "Sir!"

The Fuhrer chuckled,

"I don't think Envy needs to be apprehended, do you?" He turned to the Homunculus, who rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Wrath, your flattery is getting on my nerves. Can I just kill her now?" Sadie blanched, and her alchemic lights flickered from blue to purple. Envy leaned around the Fuhrer and waved sarcastically at Sadie.

"Hi, Girly. Long time, no see." She glared at him in response and Envy just shrugged.

"I don't really see the point in prolonging this, let's just get it done," He smirked as his right forearm morphed into a wickedly sharp blade. "Although a couple screams on the side wouldn't hurt."

Alphonse and Edward were flat out sprinting down the street, weaving and dodging to avoid pedestrians. A sleek Military transport car fishtailed to a stop in front of the brothers. The passenger window rolled down and Mustang leaned out.

"Elrics, in." He commanded. As soon as the door shut behind the Elrics, Hawkeye pressed the accelerator to the floor as the car rushed forward.

"Sadie came to Headquarters today asking for information on the Homunculus, Envy; I didn't tell her anything so she ran off. None of the sentries by the gates said that they saw her leave, so I think she's still inside." Alphonse gasped, and even Edward mustered a look of mutual surprise.

"Did she tell you why she needed the information?" Al asked the Colonel, Roy shook his head and the suit filled him in on Sadie's past and her motives. Ed scowled out the window as people jumped out of the way of the speeding car. Hawkeye screeched to a sudden stop in front of Central's West gate. The three alchemists piled out of the vehicle and sprinted to the entrance. The guards shook their heads and admitted the four of them instantaneously, indicating that Sadie hadn't left the building by their way.

Nobody they asked had seen Sadie. No one. It was maddening in a most infuriating way. Eventually one State Alchemist told the Elrics that she had seen Sadie being led to the Fuhrer's office by the same man who had escorted her a few days earlier. The search party immediately set out for Fuhrer Bradley's office.

Sadie spun around furiously, lashing out at Envy as he dodged her every attack. He laughed mockingly and lifted his knife; expertly slicing a thin cut on Sadie's left cheek as she flew by him. She stumbled awkwardly and tripped, falling face first onto Fuhrer Bradley's royal blue carpet. Envy kicked Sadie onto her back and knelt beside her, pinning her down with his forearm across her throat. She squirmed and squeaked as Envy laughed in her face. He poked the soft underside of her jaw with his knife and Sadie immediately stilled. Her only motion was the shallow, mouse-like breaths she was drawing. Envy smirked at her helpless beneath him and prodded her a little more with his weapon. Sadie squeaked as a small rivulet of blood rolled down the shining blade of Envy's arm.

"Alright, Envy that's enough. Let her up." Bradley chuckled. Envy cocked his head to the side slightly as if considering the option. "Envy, enough." Wrath's voice was firmer and more demanding. Envy whirled around in anger.

"Stay out of this!" He hissed, turning back to Sadie and raising his weaponized arm. Mustang, Hawkeye, and the Elrics burst into the Fuhrer's office just as Sadie screamed and stains of crimson stained the floor.

"Sadie!"

**A.N.- EVIL! Yes, not that evil. But I like this… I feel evil at 12:00 at night. I found an awesome site where you can watch all kinds of anime REALLY Dubbed in English. I'm going back and forth between writing and watching FMA: Conqueror of Shamballa. The site is . Check it out I swear it's worthwhile. Stay posted for more chapters! Please comment, even if it's just to say "Hey Madi! I like Pie!" then FINE BY ME! (I mean who doesn't like pie?) But please review and such- means a lot. **

**Love you all! ^_^**


	15. Chapter 15

**A.N.- So. Frigging. Tired. Enough said. Enjoy.**

The Sunset Alchemist, Ch. 15

"Sadie!"

She winced at the red hot pain in her body. Envy's blade on his right arm was stretched across his body and firmly lodged in Sadie's right shoulder. Envy shuddered and coughed up blood, a small red stone falling on Sadie's face and tumbling down to the floor. Ed and Al saw that her left hand was pressed against Envy's sternum, and large veins were branching out from the point of contact.

"I ruptured your internal organs." Sadie gasped, letting her hand fall onto her chest.

"Stupid, you know I can't be killed!" Envy grunted heavily. Sadie smiled faintly.

"I know, but it will still slow you down." She reached across her chest and grasped Envy's blade. Small rivulets of blood ran down her hand as she slowly pulled the weapon from her shoulder. When the tip of the knife left her flesh, Sadie gave a small shriek of pain. Envy fell to the floor, twitching and trying to stand as his organs repaired themselves.

"Sadie! Are you alright?" Alphonse fell to his knees beside her on the carpet, trying to keep Sadie conscious and awake.

"I'm cold, Al." She gasped heavily, shivering and shuddering. Mustang looked up from scrutinizing the Fuhrer viciously.

"She's passing out from pain, shock, and blood loss." He called to the suit. "Get her to the infirmary." Al nodded and scooped Sadie up into his arms. He left the Fuhrer's office hurriedly and sprinted down the corridors with Lieutenant Hawkeye right behind him. Ed stormed to Envy.

"I swear to God, if she dies or is damaged in any way- I'll kill you!" He gripped the front of the Homunculus's black shirt and brought Envy's face close to his. "You hear me?" Envy smirked, knowing that his innards were fully repaired and that he could easily beat the small alchemist in his unstable state but a small glance from the Fuhrer ordered him not to.

"Colonel Mustang, destroy this Homunculus." Bradley demanded. Mustang cast a quizzical yet defiant glare at his superior but readied his glove to incinerate Envy. Said Homunculus just smirked, deftly twisted Ed's arm, kneed him in the chest, and tossed him to the side before sprinting through one of the glass windows. Mustang rushed to the window to find Envy's crumpled remains but instead saw him running swiftly out of Central Command. Chagrined, he turned and saluted to Bradley.

"The Homunculus has escaped, Sir. I am sorry."

"Yes I see that," The Fuhrer said thoughtfully. "Oh well, we should call Maintenance up here so they can restore my office to order." Roy saluted again and left, leaving Ed alone with the King of Amestris.

"Fullmetal, I'm sorry to hear about the death of your friend, it grieves me deeply." Edward staggered to his feet, clutching his side slightly. "I'm sure you have heard of my decision to reopen the case," Bradley continued, "But I hope you will know your limits: such as when to stop pushing for answers." He smiled brilliantly at Ed, who frowned and tried to discern the meaning behind the words.

"Now, then," Bradley clapped his hands together and broke the tense silence between them. "I'm sure you want to check on Miss Adams. I trust you know your way to the hospital by now." He winked charitably at Ed, who quickly saluted and rushed out of the room.

As soon as the boy left the smile slipped from Bradley's face almost instantaneously. He scowled at the mess Envy had made in his office.

"Reckless," He muttered, seating himself behind the desk and straightening out irrelevant papers. "So reckless."

Sadie awoke to a blinding pain in her shoulder. She tried to sit up, but collapsed with a whimper, clutching her shoulder.

"Oh good, you're awake." Sadie turned her head to see Al sitting beside her.

"Where am I?" She croaked; Alphonse chuckled.

"The hospital. I brought you here after Envy stabbed you in your shoulder and you passed out." Sadie felt her shoulder for a moment before realizing that it was cleanly dressed and bandaged. She struggled to sit up again and failed, so Al had to prop her up on the pillows.

"Where's Ed?" Sadie mumbled, Alphonse guiltily shrugged.

"No idea." Sadie glared at him.

"You're a terrible liar, Alphonse. Where's your brother?" The suit sighed heavily.

"In a room down the hall."

"What? Why?"

"Envy broke a few of his ribs. Nothing too bad."

"Nothing too bad? Al what the hell! Help me up; I'm going to see him." Sadie tried to swing her legs over and out of the bed but the strain on her shoulders and chest was too much. She sank back into the pillows with Al's insistence that she remain bedridden.

"Aww, you do care." Ed taunted from the doorway. His automail arm was in a sling and his chest was heavily bandaged but he looked relived that Sadie was awake.

"You idiot!" Sadie feebly threw a pillow at him with her good arm. "Who the hell told you to go fight Envy?" Ed shrugged,

"Nobody. I'm my own person, here. I can kick whoever's ass I want." Sadie glared at him.

He grinned back.

Eventually her scowl melted into a genuine smile and her anger subsided.

"I'm glad you guys are okay." She said. Ed hefted his automail arm out of its sling and let it drop limply by his side.

"Okay is not the word I'd be looking for. We- sorry- _I_ need some serious maintenance." Sadie and Al laughed at his attempt of a joke. Sadie rested her head on the pillows and looked at the ceiling.

"How long do we have to stay here?" She asked. The Elrics shrugged simultaneously.

"I'm technically free to go." Al clarified, "But Brother needs to get his automail reconnected and repaired soon and your shoulder obviously needs to heal." Sadie groaned.

"I want to get out of here, it smells like disinfectant." She wrinkled her nose. Ed chuckled and sat on the foot of her bed.

"Don't worry, the staff here knows us pretty well and they'll take good care of you. We come here often so I guess we've got the experience." Sadie laughed but fell silent when a cheerful nurse entered the room and began swabbing her good arm.

"It's for an IV," The nurse explained, "We don't know how clean the blade that pierced you was, so this is a bio disinfectant to go into your bloodstream." Sadie's eyes widened.

"No needles!" The nurse gave a light little laugh and swiftly stuck the IV needle and tube in the crook of Sadie's arm. Sadie scowled at the nice lady as the nurse smiled and exited the room.

"Screw this," She sighed, "I guess I'll be here for a while. Ed, you should go get your automail serviced and reconnected, Al, I don't want you to get bored loitering around here all day so you should go too." Alphonse was miffed.

"I wouldn't be bored! We're the same age, Sadie; I think I can handle sitting in a hospital room with you for a while." He indignantly proclaimed. Sadie laughed quietly.

"Hey Al, do you remember after Envy attacked us the first time and I said I would beat him next time I saw him?"

"Yes,"

"I hit him pretty hard during my Alchemy exam. He was disguised as the officer who took us to Central." The suit burst into laughter along with Sadie as Ed wondered what he had missed.

Eventually Alphonse did accompany Ed to service his automail and left Sadie alone in her hospital room. The bag connected to the IV drip was still full, and Sadie wondered if it was still supposed to be that occupied by medicine. A small knock on her door alerted her to a visitor. Sadie sat upright despite the shocks of pain in her shoulder and smiled, readily anticipating the Elrics.

"Hey," A deeper voice intoned. Evan poked his head in through the crack in the door furtively. "Anyone awake?"

"What the hell are you doing here, Evan?" Sadie frowned at him. "Get out."

"Wait! Wait!" Evan slipped inside the room and shut the door behind him.

Sadie wished he hadn't done that.

"I came to apologize for the other day at the café." Evan produced a bouquet of flowers from behind his back and presented them to Sadie. She warily took them.

"I'm not mad at you, Evan, just frustrated. I told you that while you're my friend, I'm not going to be friends with an alcoholic, drug addicted psycho." He laughed meekly as Sadie smelled the flowers. While she did so, he produced a small syringe with a needle and injected it into the IV stream leading into Sadie's arm. She felt the change of liquid as her arm started to go numb. She dropped the flowers, which rolled off the bed and flopped to the floor.

"Oh shit." She muttered, "Evan, what the hell did you-"He smiled at her, and Sadie tried to glare back, but it took too much effort. "Forget it," She mumbled, "I'll talk to you when I wake up." She drifted off to a drug induced sleep as Evan unhooked the IV from her arm and pulled Sadie off the bed and into his arms. He quickly strode out of the room and down the halls, passing the unconscious doctors and staff that slumped over on the floors. He smirked, it was too easy.

_Come and get her, Fullmetal._

**A.N.- Yeah, so now we're on the last leg of the story. **

**Collective Audience: Awwww! **

**I know, I know. XP But this is going to be great! I really want some input on the big fight coming up. Should somebody die? Should it suddenly turn into an AL/OC Fic? Your reviews matter! Even guest reviews are welcome here. Stay tuned for the next few chapters.**


	16. Chapter 16

**A.N.- Thank you all for sticking with the story so far! It means so much to me, and I've gotten so many kind reviews and PM's! Due to a concerned guest review from FrogPrincesses this story will remain Ed/OC! (It was staying that way. I just wanted to freak Ed fans out. XD) I hope you guys like this chapter, enjoy!**

The Sunset Alchemist, Ch. 16

"Well, Mr. Elric, I'd say that this one sure took a beating." The automail mechanic clarified needlessly. "I replaced the wires and all but it's a real complicated design and I can't fix it all the way." Edward sighed as he reclined on one of the chairs in the small kiosk. He massaged his temples with his right hand while gazing at the empty arm socket on his left.

The small man whose name tag read _My Name Is: Gilbert_ inspected Ed's automail arm on a small table under a magnifying glass.

"This is all I can do," He drawled in a heavy Southern accent. "You'll need to see your original engineer to get this fixed completely." Edward's hand clenched for a moment and then relaxed.

"Whatever, just go ahead and reattach it." He sighed. Gilbert shrugged and readied the lever to reconnect the boy's nerves to the robotic extension. Edward sighed again and held his breath as Gilbert threw the switch. His shoulder immediately began to burn and ache but at least he could move his automail again.

After Edward paid Gilbert for his services he and Al meandered down the streets to stare at the items being offered. Ed rolled his aching shoulder and put his arms behind his head with a sigh.

"Brother, quit sighing- it's frustrating." Al admonished, Edward looked up at him curiously.

"I'm not sighing."

"Yes you are; trust me, I hear it." Ed shrugged and resumed walking. Alphonse smiled a little.

"It's because of Sadie, isn't it?" His brother pulled up short and turned to glare at him.

"What the hell gave you that idea?" Al shrugged this time and Ed was sure the armor was smiling at him. He scowled and said,

"So what if it is?" Alphonse chuckled lightly.

"Nothing. You two are good for each other, that's all."

"I'm sure it is," Ed grumbled, stopping at a booth to buy some roasted meat on a stick. He greedily devoured it as the two brothers strolled through the markets and through neighborhoods, waving at both friends and complete strangers who shouted to them. When they turned onto a street populated by flower stands, Alphonse nudged Ed rather roughly.

"You should buy some flowers for Sadie," He said in a sing song voice. Edward glared at his younger brother and quickened his pace.

"You want flowers, sir?"

"Pretty flowers for your pretty lady?"

"Buy flowers and give em to your girl, Shortie!" Ed spluttered, and the balding man running the kiosk grinned widely at him.

"You don't look like you have one; maybe if you were taller you could manage-"Alphonse had to hold his brother back as Ed lunged for the man's throat.

"_I'm not short_!"

Fifteen minutes later the Elric brothers marched down the way, Alphonse laughing uncontrollably, and Edward scowling with a bundle of roses crooked in his arm.

"I'm glad he gave us those flowers, Brother," Al choked between sniggers. "Who knows what you would have done to him if you had to _pay _for them!" Ed smiled faintly through his façade of anger.

"He's a very generous man, Al. You don't see many people like that, nowadays." He quipped. The suit erupted in rolls of laughter yet again. The two brothers laughed, only to be deafened into silence as a screaming truck blaring sirens barreled around the corner and raced down the street. Pedestrians jumped out of the way of the careening vehicle as it sped down the street and disappeared around the bend.

"Wonder what that was about, Al." Ed said reminiscently, his younger brother shrugged.

"Something bad must have happened."

"It always does in this city." Ed grumbled. Then he frowned, the sirens weren't fading; in fact, it sounded like the closer the Elrics got, the louder the bells became.

"Brother-"Alphonse cast a wary look to Ed, whose glare had dissipated in the wake of alarm.

"The hospital, Al!"

"Sadie's in there!" The two brothers gave up walking and flat out sprinted to the infirmary.

Military soldiers were filing out of military vehicles in such a careful and orderly fashion that it was sickening. Ed pushed by the officers and ducked under arms trying to push him back until he made it to the entrance. Alphonse, who lacked in agility due to his armor, was forced back by a body wall of soldiers.

"Brother, go get Sadie!" Edward heard his brother shout to him. He nodded quickly and slipped inside the doors. Nurses and doctors were just stirring as Edward tore past them. They shouted at him to stop, but he ignored them. Many hospital employees were unconscious on the linoleum floor. Edward rushed by them without a glance.

_Where's Sadie's room, where's Sadie's room? _He thought frantically. Ed realized that he was on the wrong floor, swung onto the fire escape outside and started running again. When he reached the third floor he reentered the building and sprinted down the hall, skidding to a halt in front of Sadie's door.

Edward kicked it open with a bang and rushed into the room.

Empty.

He anxiously searched the room thrice over, trying to find the blonde girl but it was useless. Sadie wasn't there. A flash of pink caught Ed's eye as he turned to leave. Bending down, he saw a small bouquet of flowers lying slightly under the hospital bed, like they'd been dropped. Edward picked up the bundle and inspected it closely. No chemicals or fumes radiated from the fuchsia petals. Then Ed saw something: a small, barely noticeable _E_ scratched onto the stem of the largest flower. With a barely suppressed growl he crushed the flowers in his gloved hands. He wasn't going to lose her again.

Evan/ Envy raced down alleyways, growing leaner and taller with every stride. Sadie lay limply in his arms, her head lolling with his steps.

Finally he turned into a side street; a small wooden door was well hidden on the side of a wall. He kicked it open and entered. A network of tunnels branched out into the darkness, but he knew exactly where to go. With sure strides he sprinted down halls, breezed through tunnels, and jogged through corridors. Eventually he came to a chamber with a high vaulted roof. Here he laid Sadie down on the marble floor and resumed his transformation.

"Christ, girl." Envy panted, "You're a sack of potatoes." He kicked the unconscious girl in the stomach. She whimpered in her drugged state but didn't- couldn't cry out.

"And that's for my head." He hissed in her ear.

"_You ready, Sis?" The boy asks. The girl nods. He smiles and turns to the circle surrounding the materials- the girl hadn't really understood their complete importance, only that these were what they needed to see their parents again. Simultaneously, the boy and girl press their hands to the chalk. It glows with an iridescent blue light, and the girl gasps- it's beautiful. Then the light sparks red and everything goes wrong. The sister hears her brother scream and turns to see him dissolving before her very eyes. She cries out and tries to catch him, to pull him back to her, but he fades from her. A gasp sounds from the center of the chalk circle. The girl stumbles to reach her parents; they'll know what to do. What she sees stops her cold. A terrible, deformed creature with two heads adorns the center of the circle. The girl covers her mouth to stifle a scream._

_Ryan._

_Ryan!_

_RYAN!_

Sadie shocked herself awake violently and realized that tears were freely streaming down her face. She angrily tried to brush them away only to find her hands bound and chained above her head. She struggled and thrashed for a moment but after meeting failure fell limp in her bonds. She heard a chuckle that seemed to come from all the corners of the room. Turning her head, Sadie saw that it was none other than Envy, smirking at her excessively.

"Glad you're awake, Princess." He drawled, she only glared at him. Envy shrugged. "You were having a serious flashback/nightmare-whatever-you-want-to-call-it-t hingie. Ryan! Ryan!" The Homunculus raised his voice to a girlish pitch and mimicked Sadie. She only stared despondently at him. Envy sighed.

"You're no fun like this, Girly. Where's the spirit and _fyah_?" Sadie swallowed her anger and shrugged.

"You drugged and kidnapped me, there's not much to be happy and spirited about." She returned. Envy snorted.

"I doubt that's why you're so quiet." She glared openly at him.

"Then what the hell do you think is?" She snapped, accidentally letting her façade slip. The Homunculus smiled,

"There we go, starting to get somewhere." He chuckled. Sadie rolled her eyes.

"This is a pointless interrogation. We're not _getting_ anywhere." Envy began laughing uncontrollably.

"You think this is an interrogation?" He choked, "Oh please, if I wanted you to tell me something I'd skin you alive and force you to tell me." Envy's mauve eyes were cold and serious, and Sadie didn't doubt for a moment his ability to do as he threatened. As he crouched in front of her, scrutinizing her face closely; Sadie did her best not to flinch and stared back into Envy's strange purple eyes.

He surprised her by swiftly moving closer to her in such a way that Sadie didn't have time to blink. He was right _there_- millimeters away from her nose. Envy licked his lips slowly, trying to gauge her reaction; Sadie's eyes widened as she scrambled back and pressed herself into the wall. He laughed at her again and stood, brushing himself off at the same time.

"Trust me, Girly: you're not worth that, so don't get your hopes up." Sadie oh so bravely cowered against the wall, trying to get as far away from the Homunculus as possible. Envy just laughed again and strode to a door that Sadie hadn't noticed before. He winked at her before disappearing through it and locking it securely behind him. As soon as the Homunculus's footsteps faded, Sadie shook herself out of shock and set about escaping.

She craned her neck to look at the chains binding her wrists above her head. Her hands were held upright by the chain but the thickness of the links kept Sadie's hands safely away from the wall, destroying any chance of transmutation. Sadie grit her teeth and slowly rotated her right wrist. The skin chafed against the harsh metal of the chains, and she had to pause when blood began trailing down her arm. She tried freeing her other wrist, and succeeded in turning it so that her fingertips just brushed the wall. Sadie took a deep breath and wrenched her right hand around. The links tore at her soft skin and made it bleed, but Sadie's palms flickered with Alchemic light and she chimney walked up the wall a few inches into a crouching position to press her hands to the rough hewn stone.

The chains dissolved and gave way, and Sadie fell forward with a sigh of relief. She tore a strip of cloth from her hospital gown and hastily wrapped it around her damaged wrist. Then she ran to the bolted door and slammed her palms to it, wincing at the sting in her wrist.

The door exploded outward, and Sadie could see a hallway beyond the doorframe.

_Envy must've heard that; time to run like hell._ She thought wryly to herself before taking off down the tunnel.

After what seemed like hours Sadie stopped and leaned against the wall, panting and gasping. She had narrowly avoided Envy several times, and the terrifying fact that he could be anywhere shocked Sadie with adrenaline. She slid down the wall to rest for a few moments before continuing her flight.

"Sadie!" The girl stiffened at the sound of her name. "Sadie!" Someone was calling her, and it was a familiar, warm voice. "Sadie where are you? Please be safe!" The voice sounded desperate, now; and awfully close. Sadie quickly picked up a small shard of shale and readied it as a weapon in case something went wrong. Footsteps drew closer and Sadie's breath quickened. She sprang around the corner, rock at the ready, only to collide with Edward Elric.

"Christ, Sadie! Don't scare me like that!" He shouted to her. Sadie wasn't listening.

He had found her.

_Thank God_.

She was safe.

_Yes_,

He had come _looking_ for her.

_Awesome_.

Sadie fell into Edward's chest, sobbing with relief.

"Ed, we need to get out of here, Envy-"

"I know, I know." He soothed, "It's all taken care of. Al is fighting Envy, which gave me a chance to find you. Now let's go." Sadie nodded, still pushed against Ed's torso. He rested his chin on her head and smiled,

"I was so worried, don't ever run away like that again." Sadie smiled a little.

"I didn't run away; Envy kid-"She looked up from Edward's chest and was alarmed to see a skintight black shirt and bare midriff. Sadie ventured a glance at Ed's face and gasped. Dammit.

Envy smiled down at her and cocked his head to the side humorously.

"Sadie, don't ever run away again." He repeated, but the voice wasn't his- it was Ed's.

**A.N.- Da-da-DAA! I like that ending. Don't know if you guys do but I know I do. Hehe. So from July 14 to August 2****nd**** I will be at an awesome camp where there's archery (good at it), horseback (great at it), riflery (Ohhh shit), waterskiing (sh*t someone help me!), and a bunch of other stuff. I'll bring a notebook with me like I always do to write for this story while I'm away. I'm going to do my best to update frequently in the next couple weeks because I'll be at my grandparents and god knows what chores I do down there that keep me busy (none XP). Sorry you perverts, not Envy/ Sadie fluffy stuff- that's not how I write. Please comment and review. **

**Flames are welcome; just don't give Roy a run for his money.**

**Love you all! Bye!**


	17. Chapter 17

**A.N.- This piece may be either a little cliché or OOC on Al's part; but I noticed in FMAb Al swears a lot more and gets angry a lot more often. Fine by me. Thank you all for the magnificient reviews! You guys make me feel all fuzzy inside! Enjoy!**

The Sunset Alchemist, Ch. 17

"Ed!" Alphonse cried when he saw him. His brother was being heavily guarded by four Military soldiers with guns. Mustang trailed behind the suit and sighed heavily when he saw Ed's predicament.

"Come on, Fullmetal, not in a hospital." He complained with a small smirk on his face. Riza Hawkeye accompanied the Colonel; she had her handgun drawn and at the ready unnecessarily. Mustang nodded to the soldiers and they stood down. Edward glared at the saluting officers angrily and brushed himself off as he stood. He strode straight to Alphonse and tugged his brother to the door.

"Wait! Where are we going, Brother?" Ed impatiently pulled the suit down and whispered into the helmet. Alphonse's eyes widened with a gasp.

"Shouldn't we ask Colonel Mustang for help?"

"_No_," Edward growled. Roy was confused; he only overheard fragments of the Elrics' heated discussion. Ed scowled and pulled Alphonse out of the hospital before Mustang could clarify anything.

"Fucking Homunculus," Ed muttered, storming down the streets furiously. Alphonse followed silently behind.

"That bastard!" Edward turned and slammed his fist into the nearest wall. Al jumped and tried to calm him down.

"We'll find her, Brother. I'm sure Envy wants us to so it'll be easy to get Sadie back, alright?" Ed scowled at his brother.

"He's going to take her again, Al!" He exploded, "Envy is doing this just to mess with me! Fucking bastard." He muttered under his breath. Alphonse felt his calm demeanor crumbling and found himself growing quite angry.

"Listen, Brother!" The suit pushed Edward against the wall none too gently. Ed winced but stared stonily into the glowing eyes of the suit. "Sadie is gone. Envy kidnapped her, but instead of searching high and low for her like we should be we're sulking and acting like children!"

"We are children, Al." Edward said quietly. Alphonse wasn't so easily deterred.

"Oh no, you can't start acting the part of a child now when things start to get too hard." He said bitingly, "You need to stand up like a real man and act like it! Sadie needs us!" Al stepped back and let go of Ed. His brother slumped against the wall dejectedly. Alphonse was breathing hard from his short and emotional rant but it didn't seem to affect Edward in the slightest.

"A real man?" Al heard Ed ask quietly. The suit nodded. Fullmetal gave a wry chuckle and pushed himself off the wall.

"I guess we kind of missed the whole childhood schematic, so it's a little too late to act like kids now, huh?" Alphonse smiled with relief.

"Yeah." Edward straightened his coat and pulled his gloves farther onto his hands; then he looked up apologetically to his little brother.

"Sorry, Al. I'm better, now." Alphonse nodded, pleased that there were no more hindrances.

"Let's go, Brother."

Sadie was terrified. Blood ran freely from a nasty wound on her temple where Envy had struck her. The blood loss made her dizzy. Envy laughed at her from somewhere in the room, reveling in her helplessness. Sadie's hands were once again chained above her head to discourage Alchemy, but this time they were tied together with a rough rope so that her palms were pressed together and the slightest movement burned.

Envy sauntered over to his captive, grinning widely all the way. Sadie tried to remain apathetic but pressed herself against the wall as he drew nearer. The Homunculus saw her reaction and laughed again.

"Pathetic humans," He spat with a leer. "So useless and fragile." Sadie glared at him.

"We're not weak. Ed and Al will find me, you can count on that." She said to him. Envy smiled and knelt in front of her, grasping her chin in his hand. Sadie tried to glower at him but it fell away into a terrified expression.

"That's exactly what I'm counting on," Envy whispered, "I know they'll find you. It's all part of my game." She gasped.

"A… game?" Envy sighed dramatically and pushed himself off the floor.

"I'll let you in on a little secret: I'm the Pipsqueak's brother."

"_What_?" The Homunculus laughed at the terrified expression on his hostage's face. Priceless.

"Half brother, really." Envy explained the failed transmutation of Hoenheim of Light that made him a Homunculus, Sadie lay against the wall and listened- not that she had much of a choice.

"So this whole time, you've just wanted revenge because your father chose Ed and Al over you?" She whispered. Envy through back his head and laughed.

"Not hardly. I'm not going to tell you the whole plan like one of those cliché villains. Hell no, maybe you'll live to see it- a new world reborn and ready to be destroyed again!" He paused and looked down at his captive, "And then again, maybe you won't." Her blue eyes widened, and Envy reveled in her fright. His purple eyes traveled over the bruises and cuts marring her arms and legs, sweeping them with his gaze.

_What the hell?_ He thought angrily to himself upon feeling a sudden pang for hurting the blonde girl. _This feeling is revolting. _He huffed and stormed out of the room, barring the door behind him. Sadie stared after him in a daze. What was that all about?

A few moments later the Homunculus returned with a wide strip of cloth in his pale hands. Sadie was dangling limply by her hands against the wall. He trudged over to her with a scowl and flicked her cheek to wake her up. Sadie dragged herself back to consciousness and was startled to see Envy inches from her face. She tried to squirm and shy away from him, but he pinned her to the wall by her wounded shoulder. She winced.

"Sit still, dammit." He growled at her. Sadie realized that Envy was cleaning the wound on her temple and dressing it. When he finished attending to that, he glared at her.

"Don't do something stupid. I'll kill you." She was confused until she felt her wrists fall into her lap. Envy snatched her right hand and pulled it closer to him. He wiped away the blood and hastily wrapped it in cloth.

"I'm still Envy," He hissed at her.

"Of course you are." Sadie replied simply. He growled,

"Not what I meant. I'll still kill you if you try anything, got that?" She nodded, and Envy roughly retied her hands above her head and left.

"I am Envy, I am Envy. Envy the Jealous." He muttered to himself as he stormed through the winding corridors. "Sympathy isn't Envy, and I'm Envy. Goddamnit!" He struck the wall closest to him, destroying it.

"Damn you, Pipsqueak, hurry up and get here before I do something stupid." Envy snarled.

"Elrics! I order you both to halt!" Mustang shouted. The brothers ignored him.

"Fullmetal! Stop!" Ed sighed and rounded to face his superior.

"Colonel, you've been running after us a lot lately, tell us things when we're there. We're busy, now." He waved arrogantly and turned. A single bullet whizzed by his ear, perfectly missing him by a few hairs.

"Fullmetal, stop." Hawkeye ordered. She quickly holstered her smoking pistol and stood at attention behind Mustang. He quickly closed the distance between him and the Elrics.

"What the hell are you trying to pull?" He growled, Edward shrugged.

"Nothing, Sadie is just kidnapped by Envy and my guess is that he'll kill her if we don't rescue her so but nothing too major." The boy's voice dripped with cold acidic sarcasm. Mustang was taken aback at Fullmetal's tone, he was trying to keep up a strong front but was crumbling on the inside- it was obvious.

"I know. We searched the hospital and found Sunset missing. I was trying to catch up with you and offer you help." Ed looked sharply at him.

"A little too late. Al and I have got this handled."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah." Roy folded his arms.

"Then where is she?" Edward's hands clenched. His brother answered for him.

"We don't know yet, Colonel. We're still trying to figure out where Envy might have gone." He said. Mustang nodded,

"Just as I thought- you do need our help."

"Like hell we do!" Ed shot back at him. Mustang frowned.

"You do, my division is helping you. That's that."

"Wait- your division? What about you, Colonel?" Alphonse asked, Mustang smiled wryly.

"I think I'm going to confront Fuhrer Bradley. I've had my suspicions about him for a while, now; but his reluctance to apprehend Envy clarifies it." He stated. The Elrics gasped.

"You're going to fight the Fuhrer?"

"What the hell's your problem?" Mustang shrugged.

"If this nation is going to advance we need a human leader. I'm sure he's a Homunculus." He continued on before the two could interrupt him. "My team will help you locate Sunset and Envy, but then they'll return to Central. Understood?" Edward saluted like a normal soldier would. Then his hand fell from his forehead.

"Thanks, Mustang; I'm really grateful for this…" Roy smirked at the young State Alchemist.

"Get going, Fullmetal."

**A.N.- Sooooo not happy with this one! I feel that it's very vague and non descriptive. And there's Envy/ Sadie fluff! NOOO! I wasn't going for that! That's the end of the Envy/Sadie. I swear it. **_**NO MAS!**_** Ugh. Review and all. Better chapters will be coming.**


	18. Chapter 18

**A.N.- I'm so excited! I hope you guys like this! Enjoy!**

The Sunset Alchemist, Ch. 18

"Fury, look for footprints or traces of the Homunculus's presence."

"Sir,"

"Braeda, ask civilians if they saw anything. Fallman, accompany him."

"Yes sir."

"Roger."

Hawkeye was spitting out orders like she was born to be in command. Very likely.

"Havoc, stay with me. We're looking for possible routes he could have taken."

"Sure thing."

"Elrics-"Riza turned to the brothers. "Do what you need to do. We'll support you." Ed and Al nodded and took off. She sighed and examined the streets for some sign of Sadie's kidnapper.

_He's good, _she thought. _He covers his tracks well… but doesn't he want Fullmetal to find him? Isn't that what this is all about?_ Hawkeye sighed and returned to her work. The Elrics would be devastated if something went wrong and their friend was hurt or killed. This had better work.

_And what about you, Roy? What are you planning?_

The soldiers saluted and stood at attention as Colonel Roy Mustang strode into Central. He waved them off and climbed the levels to the Fuhrer's office. As he stood before the large doors, his annoying common sense kicked in.

_You could go back, _it whispered. _Just walk away and climb the ranks._ Roy smiled.

"Nope, this ends today." He muttered to himself before pushing the doors open slowly. Bradley's secretary looked up at the Flame Alchemist with a surprised expression.

"Oh, Colonel Mustang- what can I help you with?" She said nervously, obviously catching the look in his eye.

"I need to speak with the Fuhrer right away," Roy stated. The secretary fidgeted.

"His Excellency has refused all visitors for today, sir; regardless of the importance." Mustang drummed his fingers angrily on her desk.

"I need to see him now," He growled. A small spark ignited from the friction of Mustang's ignition cloth glove on the wood and fell to the floor. He quickly stamped it out and returned his gaze to the secretary. She smiled apologetically at him.

"I'm sorry, Colonel, but you can't-"

"Elise? Who's that you're talking to?" The two turned to see Fuhrer King Bradley poking his head out of his office. His face split into a convincing smile when he laid eyes on Roy.

"Ah, Colonel Mustang, do come in. It's alright, Elise," He waved off his urgent secretary, "This will only take a moment."

The double doors swung shut quickly behind them. Mustang wasted no time.

"Sir, I'm concerned about the leadership of Amestris." Bradley had his back to Roy; an unseen scowl was plastered to his features.

"What kind of concerns, Colonel?" Mustang pulled his glove farther onto his hand.

"What are you, _sir_?" He asked. The office was silent for a moment before the tension was broken by Bradley's laugh.

"What are you talking about, Mustang?" He asked, turning to face his subordinate. Roy glared at him.

"I think you know exactly what I mean."

"No, I'm afraid I don't."

"You're a _Homunculus_!" Bradley's face remained emotionless.

"Ah, that's what you meant. Well, now, do you really want an answer?" Roy grit his teeth.

"An honest one would be fine, sir." The Fuhrer chuckled.

"You're a smart man. Not many people have figured out my true identity." Mustang clenched his hands.

"And the ones who did?"

"Do you know how many of our soldiers died in the Ishvalan War, Colonel?" Bradley asked with a small smile. Mustang's eyes widened.

"_Murderer_." The King of Amestris smiled.

"No, _leader_. I lead these people in blissful oblivious peace. They don't need to know everything about me; they just need to know that I am their leader, their ruler." The Flame Alchemist had heard enough. He raised his right hand and snapped his fingers; a brilliant flare of fire lit the room in the light of the setting sun.

Roy wasn't surprised to see Bradley emerge unscathed from the flames. The only startling thing was that the Fuhrer's eye patch had been burned off, and his left eye was open. A scarlet Auroboros tattoo replaced the pupil and iris of his left eye, confirming what Mustang had known for a long time.

"Behold, Mustang!" Bradley shouted, "I am Wrath, the Seventh Homunculus, King of Amestris, and, sadly, the killer of Colonel Roy Mustang." The Flame Alchemist sank back into a defensive stance as Bradley drew a sword from a sheath behind his back and charged.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye, I found something!" Fury shouted from around a corner. Riza turned away from the shopkeeper she was interrogating and sprinted to the Master Sergeant.

"What is it?" She saw that Braeda, and Fallman were already gathered with Fury. "Well?" She asked impatiently. Kane nodded and pointed to a small opening in the wall. It looked as if it had been boarded up and then violently kicked open. The gap was large enough to allow entry, despite its close proximity to the ground.

"Hey," Havoc greeted the team as he jogged up. "I was interrogating that girl in the tea shop on Alan Street-"

"Havoc," Riza cut across him sternly, never taking her eyes off the hole. Havoc snapped to attention. "Go find the Elrics and tell them what we found." With a brief nod, Jean was gone.

"What now?" Heymans asked slowly. "Should we wait for them?" Riza drew her favorite handgun, the Colt 45.

"There's no time." She said, kneeling down and peering into the gap. "Follow me." Braeda groaned,

"I had a feeling you were going to say that."

Edward and Alphonse were scouring the city from top to bottom. The sun started to dip towards the horizon, but the brothers kept looking.

"Chief!" Ed turned to see Jean Havoc waving frantically and sprinting towards them.

"Did you find anything?" Al asked eagerly.

"Well yeah," Havoc said, catching his breath and sounding slightly winded. "Fury found a door in the side of a building and we're pretty sure this is what we're looking for." Ed cast a glance at Al, and then they both nodded.

"Lead the way," The suit said. Havoc turned and began running down the street, the Elrics struggling to keep up.

"Here's the hole, I guess they already went in." Havoc said dejectedly. "They didn't even wait for me." Ed squeezed into the hole and enlarged it using Alchemy from the other side. Alphonse stepped through easily and left Havoc on the street.

"And neither did they," He muttered.

Mustang's division (minus one Jean Havoc) crouched in a low tunnel that obviously fed into a large atrium of sorts. Hawkeye held up her hand for the other officers to halt and leaned against the wall to wait for the Elrics.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye," Riza heard Ed before she saw him. Alphonse followed behind him, ducking his head to avoid the low ceiling. Hawkeye sighed.

"Fullmetal, I'm sure this is where Envy has taken Sunset. I'm afraid this is where we part." She began to salute to her superior but Ed stuck his hand out and offered it to her. Riza smiled faintly and shook it; then she led her squad (now including a panting Havoc) back to the surface.

"Fullmetal," She said before she left, turning to the red cloaked Alchemist.

"Yeah?"

"Make sure you survive. Mustang needs someone to torture." Ed cracked a weak smile as Mustang's division disappeared into the gloom. Then he turned forward with a look of sheer determination set upon his face.

"You ready, Al?" Alphonse gave an enthusiastic nod. Ed grimaced.

"Let's kick ass."

The Elrics cautiously threaded their way through seemingly endless hallways and tunnels. It was frustrating, and Al felt like the more they wandered and navigated the corridors, the less time Sadie had to live. Looking ahead, the suit saw Ed deep in thought and murmuring to himself.

_We need to wrap this up quickly_. Al thought. _Ed can't take much more grief. I hope Sadie's all right-_ His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a bloodcurdling scream echoing from a hall to the left.

"Sadie!" Edward shouted, and took off down the tunnel, Al right on his heels. The two brothers skidded into a long corridor with one door on the right hand wall. Ed sprinted to it and kicked it repeatedly until it flew off its hinges and fell inwards into the room. He wasted no time in rushing into the room but Alphonse held back. What if it was a trap? He peered into the room and was shocked to find Envy standing over an unconscious Sadie. A small streak of blood curled out onto the floor from under her hair, which was tinted the color of sunsets.

_Ironic_, Al thought before entering to stand by his brother. Ed's fists were balled in fury as he glared at the Homunculus. Envy himself looked a bit surprised to see the Elrics standing before him, though he quickly reverted to his arrogant trademark smirk.

"Well if it isn't the Pipsqueak and his tin can brother," He taunted, Ed growled at the tall green haired man, who laughed in response. He put his foot on Sadie's ribs and slowly applied pressure, enjoying the helpless looks of the Elric brothers. The girl whimpered, and Alphonse could see that she was unconscious. Envy dug his heel in with a snap and she screamed. Ed stormed forward, ready to beat the Homunculus senseless, but Envy just pushed his heel in deeper. Sadie sobbed on the floor and Ed halted. It was obvious he couldn't stand to see her in pain. In fact, he looked as if _he _was being abused by Envy. The brothers were helpless, and all they could do was watch as Envy slowly maimed and tortured the one who had grown so close to their hearts.

Bright flashes of light filled the Fuhrer's office as Mustang repeatedly snapped his fingers. Fire attacked Bradley from every direction, but he always seemed to know when and where Mustang's attacks would be executed. He nimbly dodged most of them, completely belying his age. Only a few shots singed the Fuhrer. Mustang, however, was having trouble. Bradley had injured the Flame Alchemist in the shoulder and torn the fabric of Roy's left glove. Having lost his pinpoint attack hand Mustang had to resort to using his right hand for obtuse attacks, which the Fuhrer dodged easily. Roy shot a large blast or flames at Bradley, but the older man ducked and swept the Alchemist's legs out from under him. The King of Amestris proceeded to drive his sword into Roy's left shoulder and slowly and agonizingly pull it to the right, bringing it closer to Mustang's lungs and heart.

"You know, Colonel, I'll have to dispose of your team after I'm done with you. What do you think? An automobile accident? A freak massacre? I'll think up something truly unique for your First Lieutenant Miss Hawkeye so don't worry; you'll see them soon!" Bradley proceeded to pull the sword deeper into Mustang's chest.

"Don't- don't touch my team." Roy gasped, "And especially not the Lieutenant!" He snapped his right hand between the two of them, which emitted a blast that threw Bradley off the younger man and sent him flying across the room. The Colonel tried to reach the hilt of the Fuhrer's sword but it was too high for him to reach so he wrapped his fingers around the blade and pulled it free from his flesh with a grunt. Roy staggered to his feet and looked around for his opponent, but Bradley was nowhere to be seen. The office was engulfed in flames and smoke filled the air, making it near impossible to see more than a few feet in any direction. Mustang could hear the frantic cries of Bradley's personal staff as they called for help and fled the building.

_Good, it's just the two of us, now. _He thought, _and I'm going to finish this!_ Mustang's thoughts cost him, because Bradley dashed out of the swirling smoke and aimed a blow at the Flame Alchemist's head with a new sword. Roy stumbled back a few paces, missing the brunt of the blow and only receiving a cut over his right eye. Blood dripped into his eye, blurring his vision. Mustang blinked furiously, and then wiped his face with his left hand, not willing to immobilize his right. The action only smeared more crimson onto his face, and Roy cursed and rubbed his sleeve on his face. A shout startled him, and he looked up to see Bradley flying through the air above him, with his sword ready to strike a lethal blow.

_I'm sorry, Riza._ Mustang thought remorsefully as the blade descended. He readied himself for a final stand and raised his right hand. More blood crawled into his eye and Roy blinked. A clang resonated through the smoke and the Flame Alchemist was forced to the ground as warm blood spattered his face.

**A.N. - HOLY SHIT I'M SO PROUD OF MYSELF! Sorry for the language. (Here and in the story.) But I'm so frigging proud! This is my brainchild! My beautiful collection of words! Do you agree? (Hope so XD) Anyways, here's a nice cliffy to keep you people hanging. I love you all so much and thank you for reading! Roy's team might have sounded reluctant to find Sadie but that's not the case- they're worried about Roy, too. A bit of Royai in the convo between Mustang and Bradley but hey, I'm fine with it. I'm so glad I can update this often! Comment and review! Before I write the fight scene, I want YOUR input! Lemme repeat that:**

**I WANT YOUR INPUT! Loves to you all! Bye! **


	19. Chapter 19

**A.N.- This is it. The chapter I've had written from the start. This image is what inspired me to actually write the story around it. Please review, I really would like some input on this. And btw thank you all for your amazing support so far! Those comments make me so fuzzy inside! Enjoy!**

The Sunset Alchemist, Ch. 19

"Let her go, Envy."

"Well, if it isn't the Fullmetal Pipsqueak and his tin can brother."

Sadie subconsciously heard Envy taunting the Elrics and tried to stir. Then her side erupted in a flare of pain. She heard someone screaming and realized it was her. Sadie cracked her eyes open with great effort to see Envy standing in front of her and Edward confronting him. Ed saw Sadie's movement and his gold eyes flickered over her face- just for a moment. Then he realized his mistake. Envy saw the change in the alchemist's line of vision, and turned to Sadie with a smirk on his face. He snatched a fistful of her hair and jerked Sadie off the floor. Her broken and battered body screamed in protest. She gave a small whimper out loud.

"_Envy_," Ed warned,

"Relax, Pipsqueak. Her legs must've been getting cramped down there, anyways." Edward shrugged off the remark and moved forward, transmuting the top of his automail arm into a knife.

"Na-ah-ah," Envy said, clucking his tongue as if scolding a young child. His right arm erupted in sparks as it morphed into an obsidian blade. He held it to Sadie's throat. She sniffed as tears fled down her cheeks. Edward attempted to move again, but Envy simply pressed the metal edge into her skin.

"Careful, Fullmetal. You couldn't even save that other girl. They're always so fragile…" Ed's hands clenched. Sadie could visibly see his anger. Envy prattled on.

"What was her name? Winry, that's it! With the yellow hair and blue eyes-"

"Shut up."

"Excuse me?"

"Shut _up_. You _killed _her!" Edward was furious now, gripping his automail tightly and trying to hold himself together. Alphonse stepped forward.

"Brother…."

"No! Stay back, Al. I'm gonna kill this bastard once and for all!" Envy chuckled lowly in Sadie's ear and then dissolved in maroon sparks. Instantly, Sadie smelled something sweet- like apple pie. Envy was still behind her holding- no, he wasn't. There was no knife biting into her neck. Sadie turned and was shocked to see herself staring back at her. This Sadie was slightly older, taller, and- well- _beautiful_. She smiled past the shocked girl in front of her and said sweetly,

"Hello, Edward."

Everything was dark. Mustang tried to force his eyes open but they seemed to be glued shut. His arm felt as heavy as lead but he did the best he could to rub the inhibition from his eyes. Bright daggers of light attacked the Colonel's vision, causing him to blink. Above him lay King Fuhrer Bradley, seemingly unconscious. Mustang struggled and rolled the Fuhrer off him.

"Sir! Colonel Mustang!" Someone was shouting to him. Why? Bradley's building was on fire, no one else was supposed to be here. Roy looked to the older man and saw three bullet holes on his body: two in his side and one in his chest. Dark stains of crimson bloomed around the wounds. Mustang struggled and sat up; he immediately regretted his action when he felt a stab of pain and felt a new wave of warmth travel down his tattered uniform. He fell back with exhaustion, breathing heavily. Roy's hand slowly crept to his shoulder and feebly applied pressure in an attempt to slow the bleeding.

Out of the corner of his eye, the Colonel could see Bradley stir; however, the Fuhrer's body wasn't repairing like the other Homunculi did. He staggered to his feet and tried to move but a gunshot rang out through the smoke and Bradley collapsed to the floor again. Roy turned his head to see Riza Hawkeye standing in the doorway. Her hair had become undone and floated around her face as the hot air pushed and swirled around her. The Lieutenant quickly holstered her gun and sprinted to Mustang's side.

"Sir? Sir! Dammit, Roy Mustang _answer me_!" The Colonel gave a weak chuckle but coughed violently, spraying small droplets of blood on his subordinate. Hawkeye looked at Mustang's shoulder with a pained expression and motioned to the door. Roy could see Fury slip in through the door and kneel beside him.

"Serious damage to the Axillary artery." She muttered, clearly assessing the situation. "Kain, press down like this." Riza guided the young Master Sergeant's hands and placed them over Roy's shoulder. The young man put all of his weight onto the Colonel's chest and the bleeding slowed considerably, but red still leaked between Fury's trembling fingers.

"Where- where's the rest of the team?" Mustang asked weakly. Hawkeye deftly tore a strip from her Military uniform and pushed Fury's hands out of the way to place the cloth over the wound.

"We can't all drop everything to save you, Colonel." She said bitterly with a hint of a wry smile. "Bradley's Special Forces officers are outside; Braeda, Havoc, and Fallman are holding them off."

"All of Bradley's Special Forces? We need to get out there," Roy attempted to push himself up but Riza roughly returned him to the ground.

A small groan attracted the three officers' attention. Bradley was slowly crawling on his stomach towards them, leaving a winding trail of red behind him.

"You traitors, I am Wrath, the Seventh Homunculi. The Fuhrer. _Your leader_. How dare you rebel and take this country for your own!" He was wheezing heavily as he dragged himself to the trio. "Who will lead this country after I'm gone? Who? We are superior to humans in every way possible, now Amestris will crumble to ruins- because of you!"

"Sir, awaiting orders." Hawkeye stared patiently at Mustang, waiting for instructions. Without warning and with his wounded arm, Roy snatched the Lieutenant's gun from her belt and fired a single shot directly at Bradley's face. Then he and the King of Amestris slumped to the floor simultaneously.

"Sir!'

"_Roy_!"

Ed was shocked to his core. He knew- he knew this wasn't right. Nothing can bring the dead back. But there she was, standing in front of him, like a dream. Flesh and blood.

"W- Winry?" She smiled warmly at him.

"Still short, huh?" He almost cried.

"I- yeah. I missed you, Win. I missed you so much-"He took a small step towards her and disposed of the knife on his automail. Alphonse intervened.

"Brother, it's not Winry. She's dead." His older brother glanced at him with a dazed look on his face.

"But she's _right there_, Al. She's back." He smiled dreamily. Winry/ New Sadie smiled back silently.

"_Ed, that's not Winry._" Edward whirled on his brother, ready with a hot retort on his tongue, but then Winry spoke.

"Ed, why did you replace me?" She pointed at Sadie. "I was only on a short trip, I never left you." Ed shrugged in a confused way.

"She- she looked like you." Winry nodded understandingly.

"But I'm back, so there's no need for this replacement, is there?" Ed turned to Sadie, a new look dawning on his features.

"No, I guess not." He mumbled. The alchemist transmuted the blade onto his automail again and moved toward a horrified Sadie. She staggered heavily, her unbroken arm wrapped around her ribs. Alphonse slid in front of her and grabbed his brother by the shoulders.

"Brother, do you even hear yourself! Winry would never ask you to kill someone! _Think_!" Edward gazed blankly at the suit of armor.

"I am, Al. This is the right thing. If I kill the replacement the real Winry will stay."

"But Sadie isn't a fake Winry! Winry is _dead_, Brother! Why can't you see that?" He sounded on the verge of tears. Sadie slowly stepped in front of Alphonse and laid her hand on Ed's flesh and blood arm. He flinched and looked at her with such malice that she almost cowered. _Almost_.

"Ed, I'm not Winry. _That's _not Winry." She pointed at the girl behind her. "Winry was killed by Envy, who is just manipulating you now. Snap out of it!" Nothing. Sadie took a deep breath and tried again.

"Ed, the blood, Remember the blood when you found her. Dead on the street." She felt horrible and wretched for resurfacing the memories, but it had to work. Ed's gold eyes widened, the pupils contracted. Tears immediately coursed their way down his cheeks.

"Winry," He gasped, "_Envy_." He straightened up, a column of stone, and pushed past Sadie and his brother to Winry/ Sadie/ Envy.

"Winry, it's best if you stay dead." He said coldly, and with that slid his metal blade deep into her stomach. She gasped, shocked at his actions, and then smirked and fell away from his blade to the floor. In a pile of purple sparks, Envy remerged, the gash in his middle quickly being repaired by red stroke of lightning across his midsection.

"Have to say, Pipsqueak; that was really pathetic. You liked that bitch so much you thought killing her look alike would bring her back? Pathetic." He brushed himself off carelessly. Ed scowled at the tall man.

"You really think a trick like that would fool me, Homunculus?" He spat venomously. Envy shrugged,

"Looked to me like you bought it." With a cry of inhuman rage, Edward rushed the Homunculus, brandishing his weapon recklessly. Envy easily sidestepped the alchemist and kicked him in the back of the knees. Alphonse rushed to help his brother, while Sadie stood motionless. Ed had _never_ been this infuriated.

_There's no way I can help him,_ she thought miserably. She couldn't fight, and her alchemy was still basic and unstable. But if a few cleverly placed transmutation circles were somehow simultaneously activated- Sadie immediately began drawing in the dirt at her feet.

"Sanguinem, vitam, mortem, innova." She muttered, _blood, life, death, renew_. She cursed aloud and erased part of the circle, correcting the Latin writing. A small drop of blood fell from her temple to the ground, staining the dirt.

"Al!" She shouted to the suit of armor, he turned for an instant and she knew she had his attention. "Get Ed out of here!" Sadie gestured dramatically to the transmutation circle at her feet. Alphonse nodded and sprinted forward to secure his brother. He succeeded in grabbing Edward around the waist and dragging him away from Envy.

"No!" Ed screamed, "You can't end this now! I'm gonna kill him! I swear I will!" Envy stuck his tongue out like a child and wagged it at the two brothers.

"He doesn't want you dying, Eddie. Otherwise he'll never get his body back." He taunted. Alphonse gasped, his voice deepened threateningly.

"It's no such thing, Envy. Brother, let's move." The suit retreated with a writhing alchemist in his grip to stand behind Sadie; her blonde hair was dirty and in disarray. Before her lay a completed transmutation circle. Alphonse inspected it critically,

"Sadie, wha-"She turned around abruptly and strode to the brothers. She hugged Alphonse tightly and whispered,

"Take care of him for me." The suit was openly confused but returned his attention to restraining his older brother. Ed stopped struggling when Sadie took a deep, reassuring breath and kissed the Fullmetal Alchemist right on the mouth. He spluttered for a moment, which was long enough for her to whisper in his ear and walk away; then he calmed into a frozen state of shock.

Sadie took small steps to the circle, terrified of the costs, and the rewards. She took another deep breath and pressed her hands to the disheveled soil, just as Ed broke out of Alphonse's grasp and attempted to run to her- a cry on his lips. Envy roared furiously and sprinted towards the girl. Then, everything flashed white and was gone.

**A.N.- Short- I know. (Just like Ed XD) But I'm a little pleased. It could have been better orchestrated- true but I like this chappie. And for those of you who think I'm an incompetent 13 year old: AHEM. The Axillary artery is divided into three main parts, the largest running through the pectoral muscles. So when Bradley stabbed Mustang's shoulder he ruptured the largest part of the Axillary artery. When an artery is severed of hurt it spurts blood with every heartbeat blah blah blah. It's NOT Auxillary artery- lemme tell you that now. My mom is a nurse and my dad's an ER doc… I know this sh*t. **

**Royai…. Hehe. Who knew Mustang had such perfect marksmanship? And an update on Sadie's injuries: Her left arm is broken, her temple is bleeding, her right wrist is torn and nasty, and then there's still that stab mark in her shoulder that did not PIERCE the Axillary Artery. **

**Review, please. Love you all. **


	20. Chapter 20

**I had my first day of horsecamp in GA today. Freaking awesome. Most of it was just review like tacking up a horse, grooming, walking, leading the horse- BUT I DID trot and post with NO HANDS. I find that amazing, considering my lack of balance and coordination. XP But unfortunately it's raining and I'm hoping it won't get rained out tomorrow so we can try harder things… we also rode bareback, which isn't my strong suit. (Suit- hehe.)**

**Al: NOT funny. But I'm very optimistic about this week-**

**Audience: HURRY IT UP!**

**Me: * sticks out tongue * **

The Sunset Alchemist, Ch. 20

White.

White. White. White.

Nothing.

Sadie opened her eyes to a blank nothingness. She sat up easily and wasn't surprised to find that her wounds were healed.

"What the hell!" She turned her head to see Envy whipping his head around maniacally as he inspected the white landscape. Sadie blinked, and then the Gate was there, looming in front of her and the tall Homunculus ominously. Envy stepped back cautiously and then stormed to Sadie. He jerked her from the ground and shook her furiously.

"What the hell is this? Where are we?" He growled. The girl spoke slowly and quietly, as if she were half asleep.

"This is my Gate."

"Your _what_?"

"This is her portal to other dimensions." Sadie was vaguely surprised to see Truth sitting casually and wearing its usual smirk. Envy dropped Sadie and all but ran to Truth and attempted to strike him.

It just laughed and with a sizzling sound Envy was thrown back, his left hand charred and smoking.

"Bastard," He hissed, "Wait until you get a load of this!" He thrust his chest out and waited. Nothing happened. Truth burst into laughter.

"You should know that you're powerless, here, Homunculus. You will neither heal nor be able to transform here. This is the in-between dividing this world and the next; and here you are rendered to a mere human." Truth ignored the gaping Envy and turned to Sadie.

"I'm certainly glad to see you again, Miss Adams." She nodded wordlessly. It chuckled,

"All this time, and that's the only greeting I get? Very well, then. I see you've regained your memories, and my guess is that your Alchemy has considerably improved." Sadie's eyes fell.

"No, not really." Truth grinned its trademark smile.

"Then how are you here? You performed Human Transmutation, Miss Adams, that's how." The girl's breath caught in her throat.

"Then- what are you going to take, now?" Truth frowned disapprovingly.

"The rules of our deal were that if you could master your Alchemy and return to this Gate you could take your brother back, yes? I don't lie, Miss Adams. You may have him."

"My Alchemy isn't mastered."

"And that's what you needed to learn. To enter any Gate, Human Transmutation must be performed, and I changed your Alchemy so that Human Transmutation would be impossible even with your altered skills. Besides, it would have been extremely difficult even if you could have used your special Alchemy. So you see, I'm very proud of myself." Truth spread its hands happily. "I am all, and all is me. I see it as my responsibility to educate and discipline those of your world." Sadie gazed at him with a dazed expression. Truth sniffed indignantly and stepped aside as the Gate swung open behind it. The young Alchemist stared at it uncertainly and then stated her deal.

"Truth, God, whoever you are- I want to change the deal." Truth's hands dropped and it cocked its head curiously.

"Change it how, Miss Adams?"

"I don't want to bring Ryan back."

"You don't?" Sadie shook her head.

"I want to restore the Elrics' bodies to them." Truth frowned again.

"I don't think that was in the terms of our contract, Miss Adams."

"No, but think about it: if I brought back Ryan I'd have to bring back his entire body and soul, if you do this I'll get Al's body and Ed's limbs, about fair exchange for Ryan's being. Isn't that equivalent exchange?" She injected a twinge of mockery into her voice and instantly regretted it. Truth pondered this.

"But what about your brother?" Sadie steeled herself.

"Ryan is gone, and there's no guarantee that he's even in the Gate anymore." Her heart throbbed as she quoted Alphonse's words. "Al's soul is already here, and so is Ed's. I'm leaving the past behind and moving on. I'm going to help the Elrics." She raised her head with a confidence she didn't feel, trying not to cower before Truth and Envy. Truth's featureless face split into a wide smile.

"Alright then. You've won, Miss Adams. You beat me."

"What?" It laughed at the girl's ignorance.

"Your brother is gone. He's in a different dimension. I never told you he was dead, just that he was gone. Can you accept this as your price?"

"I do,"

"Alright, then. Go and take what you want." Truth slid father aside, and Sadie took small steps that grew until she was flying; she leaped into the Gate, and it swung shut silently behind her. Truth turned to Envy.

"And now you. You aren't human, so you don't possess a Gate of your own, but the Philosopher's Stone inside you opened the Gate and helped bring Miss Adams here." Envy growled,

"What the hell are you talking about?" Truth sighed and shrugged.

"I suppose you wouldn't understand me, I am of higher intellect than you. Don't you envy me that?" Envy hissed and clutched at his wounded hand. Truth's levity disappeared and it frowned.

"You interfered with my plans and my experiment- you shouldn't have done that. I think some equivalent exchange is necessary for all the damage you caused to Miss Adams and the Elrics. After all, you did nearly ruin my entertainment." The Gate swung open again, but this time dark tendrils swirled out of it threateningly. One of the strands wound itself around Envy's right arm and slowly dragged him to the Gate. He struggled furiously but more of them latched on and pulled him towards the Gate. Envy screamed as he was dragged past Truth, who raised a hand a waved like a child. The Homunculus slid through the doors and they closed behind him. Truth wriggled its fingers again.

"Bye bye, Envy."

Sadie felt time and space bend around her as soon as she entered the Gate. Colors and bright flashes of light swirled by her in a vortex. She risked a glance when she felt a tug on her arm and realized that it was dissolving. Sadie struggled for a moment and then tumbled onto a flat, white surface.

"Sadie?" She looked up to see a pale boy sitting cross-legged in front of her. He was terribly thin, and a mane of shaggy blonde hair framed his face. With a shriek, Sadie covered her eyes upon realizing that he was unclothed. The boy showed no sign of being embarrassed; he just gazed at her with surprise.

"Sadie- what are you doing here?"

"What?" Her voice was muffled by her hands, so she took them down and stared up at the white expansion of the ceiling. The boy laughed,

"Sadie, it's me. It's Alphonse."

"_Al_," She gasped. He nodded.

"This is my Gate; where my body has been ever since Ed and I transmuted our mother." Sadie shook her head repeatedly,

"But how is your body alive in here? I mean- you're still alive back in the real world, right?" Alphonse shrugged.

"I don't think Ed was able to pull back all of my soul, and a little part of it stayed with my body, I guess." Sadie still shook her head.

"Whatever, Al. Come on, we're going home."

"But we can't." She stopped.

"Why not?" Alphonse shrugged, moving his thin shoulders with great effort.

"I've tried- the Gate doesn't open. No matter what we can't go back."

"You don't know that!"

"Yes I do." Sadie sighed and tugged slightly on her hair.

"Al, I made a deal with Truth." Alphonse's eyes widened, making more evident the shadows beneath them. "He was going to let me bring my brother back, but I'm going to bring back your body and Ed's arm and leg."

"Sadie! You can't do that! We'll be just fine the way we are now!" She shrugged off the boy's arguments.

"It's a little too late, Al. I'm already here and it's done. So let's try to get out and back to Ed, okay?"

Edward fell to his knees, tears filling his gold eyes. He bent over and suddenly beat the ground by his face.

"Now she's gone, too. She's gone." His hair fell to obscure his face as he tried to pull himself together. Alphonse stepped forward.

"Brother-" He froze, a shuddering breath shook his body and then the suit fell over and remained motionless on the ground. The metal helmet rolled to a stop beside Ed's arm with a soft clang. He looked up at it just in time to see the red lights dim and fade away, leaving the helmet empty.

"Al! Al! Alphonse!" He scrambled to the suit and shook it roughly, trying to solicit a response, but it was futile.

The suit was empty.

"Oh god, Al; not you, too." Ed sobbed, pulling the armor into his arms and pressing his cheek to the cold metal. He rocked and cried, forgetting about his pride, just weeping and moaning for his brother and Sadie, for his brother and Winry, for his mother, for everyone he had ever lost.

The steady sounds of rapid gunfire echoed all around the square in front of Central Command. The Command Center itself had long since been evacuated, and the Fuhrer's wing was now ablaze, burning freely and strongly. Jean Havoc crouched behind a makeshift wall composed of an overturned vehicle and other rubbish materials that had been easy to scavenge. He quickly fired two rounds over the edge of the barrier blindly, hoping that they went wide.

Their orders had been to hold the Fuhrer's Special Forces officers off, not to maim or harm them. Havoc grit his teeth. Hawkeye had said she would take twenty minutes and if she hadn't returned by then to go into hiding and abort.

_You know we wouldn't do that, Chief._ Jean thought cockily. His mental tirade was cut short by a bullet sparking off the metal next to him, spraying him with small sparks. Jean spluttered and bumped into Vato Fallman, who was attempting to cover the West flank and drive soldiers back. Jean patted him on the back and tossed him a loaded magazine before scrambling to Braeda.

The other man was doing well; he was reloading his rifle quickly and adeptly and ferociously clenched a ham sandwich in his mouth. Havoc snatched the food from Braeda and flung it over the wall at the Special Forces soldiers- much to Heyman's dismay. They paused to inspect the sandwich for possible weapons or dangers.

Mustang's men struck. Fallman and Havoc pried the fuel tank from the undercarriage of the vehicle and heaved it at the soldiers. They sprang back as it shattered, spilling gasoline across the street. Braeda quickly sprang up and shot a single bullet- not at the gas, but at the cobblestones. The spark created by the friction instantly ignited the gasoline and created a barrier of fire that the Fuhrer's men couldn't possible pass through.

"AND THAT'S FOR MY SANDWICH!" Braeda shouted, thrusting his rifle in the air. With a sharp crack his gun was torn from his hands and thrown to the pavement. The soldiers were opening fire from the other side. The wall of flames slowed their shots but they were still firing, nonetheless, so the three men ducked back behind their barrier and returned fire. They had bought a little time, but the gas wouldn't burn for long, Havoc thought miserably.

_Hurry up and get the Colonel!_

**A.N.- WHO ARE WE? DUCK DYNASTY! WHAT DO WE WANT? HAM SAMMICH! Only seen about three episodes but I was privileged enough to see that one. Anywho, please review. I took a long shower but I still smell like sweaty horses! Oh well, I'll smell like sweaty horses for the rest of the week, anyway. I went down to the field afterwards to see my grandparents' neighbor's horse that she said is pretty much mine; so I whistled and Leo came running and then he stopped and was like "Why do you smell like another horse?" Haha. Review please. Loves to you all!**


	21. Chapter 21

**A.N.- I got this one nice Guest review that I deem good enough to answer. I never said the story was over, anonymous reader-person. XP I wouldn't bring Winry back because it'd create a mental and emotional rift in Ed and Sadie. (Between them, as well.) There's still quite a bit to go. So- with that said. Here's the next part. P.S.- I'm open as a Beta, now! If you guys want some stuff looked over I'd be more than happy to do it! Enjoy! **

The Sunset Alchemist, Ch. 21

"Sadie, there's no way out. I've already told you."

"There has to be!"

"There's not," Sadie slammed her palm to the floor.

"Truth, don't double cross me!" She shouted, "You never lie!" Alphonse shook his head sadly. Sadie bit her lip angrily as tears jumped to her eyes. It couldn't end like this- it couldn't. What about Ed? Colonel Mustang and his team? What would happen to Alphonse in the real world? What would happen to his body in here?

What would happen to _her_ in here?

A small tear escaped her eye and slid down her nose; it silently fell to the white ground but formed into a perfect oval of water, like the floor was coated with oil. Sadie looked past her hands to the tear and felt realization dawn upon her quickly.

She sprang up and ran to Alphonse. He looked at her curiously as she pulled him up and tried to make him walk. The boy stumbled heavily against Sadie so she threw his arm over her shoulder and carried/ dragged him to the Gate.

"This is payback for all the times you've toted me around, Al." Sadie said grimly. "I know how to open the Gate."

"How? Alchemy doesn't work here."

"Not with Alchemy, Al. With something else." She gently lowered Alphonse to the floor and reached for her temple wound before realizing it was gone. Steeling her resolve, Sadie raised her left arm and bit the inside of her wrist. A warm, slick thread of blood trailed out and ran down her arm. The red dripped off from her elbow and Sadie held her arm up to the Gate and let her blood fall on its threshold.

"Equivalent exchange!" She shouted. The small droplets of her blood slowly slid under the Gate, and then the large stone doors creaked open somewhat reluctantly.

Sadie wasted no time in scooping up Alphonse and pulling him into the Gate. One down, one to go.

Mustang squinted and opened his eyes to blackness. A bright light swept over his head and down into his face. He shielded his eyes as Fury quickly shut the flashlight off and knelt beside him.

"Sorry, Sir! I was patrolling for others entering the building." Roy waved him aside.

"Where's Lieutenant Hawkeye?"

"She's looking for clear exits, Sir." Mustang sighed and put his hand to his heart. He winced when he felt the rough cloth from Riza's uniform staunching the wound in his shoulder. She had done it again, surprised him by swooping to the rescue.

"Are Havoc, Braeda, and Lieutenant Fallman still out front?"

"Yes sir. We're trying to signal them to retreat now that we've got you. Then we can all escape out of an unguarded exit." Kain sounded so optimistic and upbeat about their situation that it made Mustang smile. He pushed himself up, ignoring the rapid dampening of the fabric around his shoulder; Fury helped him up and led him down the hall they had been taking over in and to a room with small windows that overlooked the front of Central Command. Below them, Roy could see Braeda, Fallman, and Havoc huddled behind a wall of debris that strangely consisted of an upturned military vehicle. A drying wave of fire separated Mustang's men from Bradley's. It was waning, and some soldiers were laying planks across the embers and preparing to cross. Mustang smirked.

"Not on my watch." With a simple snap of his right hand, Roy rekindled the fire. It leaped sky high, again dividing his tem from the Special Forces soldiers. The flames licked higher than the tops of the buildings, but a thin layer of air kept the heat from lighting the dwellings. Fallman, Braeda, and Havoc all turned to the white building towering over them and waved fanatically, not knowing where exactly their leader was, but knowing that he had saved them.

Roy smiled faintly but frowned as the fingers of his glove disintegrated into ash. No burns marked the tips of his fingers, but now the glove was unusable.

"Useless." Roy sighed and began to pull the tattered cloth off his hand but stopped and instead tugged it back into place. Fury had just opened his mouth to question the Colonel's actions when Riza Hawkeye kicked the door down behind them and stormed in.

"Where were you?" She shouted, "I leave to scout check and you just up and disappear! Colonel you need to stay put!" She was breathing heavily and- were those tears in her eyes? "I don't- I don't know what I would have done if they had killed you two. I don't." Hawkeye turned her gun in her hands indecisively, as if considering dropping it. She swiftly stuck into her waistband and turned to leave.

"Well, are you coming, Sir? Fury?" She called back over her shoulder. Mustang smirked and closed the distance between them quickly and efficiently. He wrapped his good arm around his Lieutenant's shoulders and pressed her to him. After a moment, her arms rose and she returned the embrace.

"Thank you, Riza." Roy whispered in her ear. Fury blushed and looked out the window to give them privacy. Then he interrupted it.

"Sir! The fire is going down! Fuhrer Bradley's men are attempting to cross over!" Mustang and Hawkeye stepped quickly apart and separated. Roy strode to the window and looked out. Bradley's soldiers were placing wet sheets over the flames that were only about knee high, now. A few daring men leapt over the coals and fire to slowly advance to Havoc, Fallman, and Braeda, who were still taking cover behind their barrier. Mustang grit his teeth angrily. His men didn't know where he was, so they wouldn't know where to look for a signal. Riza pushed past him and fired a single shot out the window.

The advancing officers crouched and retreated a bit at the noise, and Roy's men peered over the barrier. They saw their predicament, looked to the window, saw Roy and Riza, and then fled into the building.

Images flashed by blindingly. Sadie made sure not to loosen her grip on Alphonse. Despite having traveled through the Gate before, she still felt afraid of its vastness- what if they couldn't reenter her Gate? What if they dissolved? Sadie was jolted out of her thoughts as she and Alphonse fell flat onto a familiar white floor. Al tumbled out of Sadie's grip and rolled a few paces before coming to a sickening halt.

"Al!" Sadie sprang up and ran to him, sliding to her knees when she reached him. She gently rolled Al's frail body over onto its back. His eyes were closed, and he was impossibly pale.

"Al? Alphonse! Alphonse say something!" He groaned slightly and his eyelids fluttered.

"Oh thank God." Sadie sank back onto her heels, laughing with relief.

"Sadie?" Al sat up weakly and looked at her confusedly. "Where am I?" She frowned at him.

"We're at my Gate, Al. I brought you back from yours and now we just need Ed's limbs and we can go home."

"What? But- you're dead! You're gone! Brother and I saw you vanish in the transmutation!" Sadie's frown deepened and her brow furrowed.

"Al- did your soul return? Are you completely you, now?"

"And why am I naked!?" She laughed at that and looked away to give him privacy. Sadie was still wearing only the thin hospital nightgown that she had entered her Gate in- although it wasn't torn and bloodied anymore.

"There you are." Sadie and Al both turned to see Truth smirking at them. "I see you regained the younger Elric, well done, Miss Adams." Sadie scowled.

"You lied; Al's Gate didn't open back up. I had to open it." She held up her wrist to find it smooth and unblemished. Truth smiled and shrugged.

"This dimension's rules change quite often- you ought to know that, by now." She glared at him.

"Fine. Do we have to travel to Ed's Gate to get his arm and leg back?" Truth's smile spread.

"The older Elric's limbs are not in his Gate. Nothing of his soul is there to sustain them so naturally I generously brought them to you." Sadie and Alphonse smiled at each other giddily; then their grins faded.

"What do you want us to give? This can't be free." Alphonse asked suspiciously. Truth grinned broadly and coldly.

"You know me too well, Elric." Al frowned at him.

"Should I be proud of that?" Truth shrugged haphazardly and turned to Sadie.

"This is your deal, Miss Adams. Your contract. You choose what to bring. I will give you one limb complimentary, but if you want the other you must sacrifice what I ask."

"And what's that?"

"You must accept my terms, first." Sadie looked to Alphonse still sitting helplessly on the floor. He shook his head.

"Sadie, just take one limb and let's leave. Brother wouldn't want you sacrificing something else for him. He'd never live with that." Truth drummed its fingers against its left leg- a _human _leg. Sadie looked to its right arm and saw a flesh and blood limb instead of Truth's normal white appearance.

"Are those… Ed's?" She asked, Truth gave her a mocking smile.

"Choose, please. My patience runs low." Alphonse staggered to his feet and wobbled as he struggled to Sadie. She turned and supported him.

"Sadie- don't-" He gasped in exhaustion. He was terribly weak and needed help.

_We need to get back to the real world._ Sadie thought. She draped Al's arm over her shoulder once more and boldly stared Truth down as she made her choice.

_Ryan Adamson bolted upright in bed, in a cold sweat. He had seen _her_. That girl who he dreamed about all the time. She was talking about bringing him with her somewhere, but she had a sick boy with her. He could see she cared for him. It was obvious she was going to help him. He sighed heavily and sank back into the pillows, hoping for more dreams of the blonde girl with blue eyes…_

"Oh God, Al. No, no, no, no. You can't be gone. Sadie, don't leave. Oh Jesus, they're gone-" Ed was a mess on the dirty floor of Sadie's prison. Alphonse's empty armor was still lying in Ed's lap, and he could see the blood seal beginning to flake and chip away.

"There's nobody left. They're all gone- Mom, Winry, Sadie, Al-"He pressed his forehead to the breastplate and screamed. He was alone. Forsaken. There was nobody else.

A bright flash of light and a loud shout echoed throughout the room. Ed ignored them.

_I don't care, Envy can finish me off._

"Ed?" He stopped, that voice-

"Brother?" Edward rubbed at his eyes and shook his head.

"Dammit, now I'm hearing them," He muttered. The voices came again.

"No, Ed- it's us!" The Alchemist raised his head to see a pair of blue eyes peering closely at him, and a set of brown next to them.

"Ed, it's us." Sadie repeated.

His heart stopped.

**A.N.- Yeah, major dramatic grief scene from Ed, I know. Hey, if the guy I have a crush on and I guess my siblings disappeared I'd scream and cry to (I did, lol) It's a really nasty bottomless feeling so I was trying to convey that. So please review, I'd like to know what you think. I'm happy I have this much free time- but I'm telling you it won't last. To the guest who commented before: TA-DAA! Sadie's back! The story isn't over, yet. Not hardly.**

**Loves!**


	22. Chapter 22

**A.N.- Alright, who wants a sequel? Tell meh and I will consider! Last day of riding my beautiful (camp-provided) horse today- oh well, I've still got my other horsie. LEO!**

**Disclaimer- I don't own FMA. (Wish I did but I don't.) I only own Sadie and my plot ideas.**

The Sunset Alchemist, Ch. 22

Edward just stared at the two of them in a daze, like they were just dreams. Sadie shook his shoulder gently, trying to snap him out of his state.

"Ed, Ed it's us: Al and Sadie. We're back from the Gate." Ed shook his head, his gold hair falling even further out of its braid, making him look unhinged.

Alphonse looked to the empty armor his brother clutched in his hands. He gently crawled to Edward and tried to speak to him.

"Brother, Sadie brought back my body from the Gate; and look-"He reached out and lifted Ed's right arm. It dropped and slid back into his lap. Flesh and blood. Edward stared at his restored limb, it was a bit thin, and the fingernails were long and ragged. He stared at it in awe and then turned to Sadie.

"How did you-"

"I mastered my Alchemy." She said simply. "I went to Al's Gate and got his body, then I went back to mine and Truth gave me your arm." She and Alphonse had already agreed to leave out her forfeit of bringing Ryan back so as not to upset Ed. He smiled at her slightly and flexed his arm. Sadie grinned back at him but swayed and fell onto his lap with a small sigh.

"Sadie!" Ed turned her over to see her temple bleeding profusely again and the dirty cloth around her wrist staining dark red. Other places slowly seeped blood all over her body- an obvious result of Envy's abuse.

Edward stood and picked Sadie up in his arms, Alphonse tried to stand but collapsed to the floor again.

"_Al_!" The younger boy smiled up at his brother.

"Go get Sadie back to the hospital, Ed. She needs to see a doctor."

"You do, too! Come on," Ed gently laid Sadie on the floor and placed his red cloak around Al's bony shoulders, then he allowed the thin boy to rest on his back as he again scooped up Sadie and struggled to find the way out.

"Colonel, there's an exit this way! We can easily get out without being seen!" Lieutenant Fallman pointed to a small window that led out to the delivery area of Central Command. Mustang stumbled along behind his men, leaning heavily on Riza's shoulder. Fury and Havoc poked the muzzles of their guns out into the delivery bay, looking for assailants or an ambush. Upon seeing none, they motioned silently to the rest of the team and they all silently moved outward. When the division had reached the middle of the open area an almost undetectable whirring sound filled the air.

A silver sword cut through the air and stabbed Roy Mustang in the back.

He gasped, his eyes wide as pain suddenly seared through his body. His vision went white, and when it cleared it was speckled with black spots. He heard shots being fired but couldn't distinguish what all the shouting was- just a bunch of incoherent nonsense.

"Roy, Roy, Roy Mustang stay with me, don't you dare die on me. Wake up, _wake up_." A voice called to him. Despite the pain wracking his every nerve Mustang forced his eyes open to soothe the agony conveyed in that plea. His Lieutenant stared up at him, pain, worry, and torture written all over her face.

Roy tried to smile at her, to tell her it was all right, but a sad wheezing sound was the only noise he could make.

"You thought I could be defeated so easily, Mustang? You are indeed a fool." Fuhrer Bradley's cold and callous voice rang out and echoed throughout the delivery port.

"Up there!" Havoc shouted, pointing. He raised his gun and fired at the man standing on the roof of the walls surrounding Mustang's team. The rest followed suit, all except for Riza. She couldn't set Mustang down on the ground because of the weapon protruding from his back, and quite frankly she was terrified of what would happen if she relinquished her hold on Roy for even a second. She watched in wide eyed horror as a dark burgundy stain spread across the back of the Colonel's torn and burnt uniform.

"_No_! Colonel Mustang, stay awake! Look at me, look!" She shouted to him, trying to hold his attention and keep him conscious. By the sounds he was producing, Hawkeye could tell that the Fuhrer's sword had punctured one of Mustang's lungs, and possibly his heart. Roy turned his head with great effort to stare at the Lieutenant, she tried to move him out of harm's way, but he was too heavy and it was all she could do not to accidentally drop him and have the sword reemerge through his chest. Fallman and Fury both holstered their weapons and sprinted to the two superior officers, they each supported one side of Mustang and moved him to a sheltered space where trucks would connect to the building to deliver their supplies.

Free of Mustang's weight, Riza quickly drew two handguns and rapidly fired them at the blur that was easily evading Havoc and Braeda's shots. Bradley ran swiftly along the roof and then sprang down and landed on the ground easily. Red and white lightning flickered and danced dangerously around his whole body, sewing together cuts and lesions and closing the holes in his head and body made by Roy and Riza's shots.

"I have to say, that hurt quite a bit." The Fuhrer cracked his neck and took deep, satisfied steps towards the three officers. They leveled their weapons at him without a moment's hesitation. Bradley laughed,

"You still think you can defeat me? Not now, not after my Stone has been awakened." He threw back his head and laughed, and Riza took the moment to shoot a bullet through the Fuhrer's neck. He spluttered and stumbled back a few feet as the wound closed.

"I think the best way to make the Colonel suffer," He growled, "Would be to kill his team- starting with the pretty Lieutenant." By the docking port, Mustang pushed against Fury and Fallman weakly, trying to get up and help his team. Bradley smiled patronizingly at Roy as he took slow, steady steps towards Riza. Her hands were shaking, but she held her two guns steady. Braeda and Havoc quickly flanked her, raising their firearms threateningly. With a simple movement, Braeda flew across the delivery yard and Jean was thrown against the metal docking port that connected to the trucks. With a scream, he fell to the ground and remained there. His upper half was moving but his legs remained immobile.

"Havoc!"

"Lieutenant!"

"Jean!" Roy pushed harder against his two officers; he ignored the pains in his chest as more fluid filled his lungs. He managed to push the two off him for a moment and agonizingly reached behind him and pulled Bradley's sword from his back. He gave a cry of pain as it slid out, and he could feel his body growing cold. Mustang staggered for a moment but regained his footing and then fell. Bradley laughed at the futile efforts of the Colonel but stopped when a blue light flashed around Mustang's body. Looking closer, Amestris's King could see Roy's hand pressed to a transmutation circle inscribed in the dirt.

"So that's what you were doing during your struggle," The Fuhrer laughed but stopped as the fabric of Roy's right glove crept up to his fingers, leaving a newly repaired ignition glove. Mustang grit his teeth and snapped his fingers once. A terrible pain literally _lit_ his back as he seared his wound shut. Bradley was slightly amused. Riza gasped.

"You have nerve, Mustang. But a small burn won't make you fit to fight _me_."

"Maybe not," Roy growled, "But I do know what a distraction is- Lieutenant!" Bradley turned with a mildly surprised look on his face as Hawkeye shot one bullet into his eye marked with the Auroboros tattoo. The older man reeled back, clutching at his face as he tried to heal. Then, Mustang's division opened fire from all sides, including Roy himself. He snapped his fingers repeatedly and consecutively, always enclosing Bradley in an inferno of heat and light. He kept on assaulting the Fuhrer until nothing but a melted pile of skin and bones was left. A small creature crawled out of the heap. It had four arms, two legs, and three murderous eyes on its small head. It stumbled awkwardly with a glistening, red stone attached to its back.

"So this is your true form?" Mustang said disgustedly, looking down at the beast. It growled nonthreateningly at him and tried to escape. Roy easily pinned it down with one booted foot and wobbled slightly. Riza stepped forward with evident concern but Mustang held up a hand and he stopped.

"I'm going to destroy you, Bradley- as recompense for all that you've done to destroy this country and lead it to ruin." He raised his hand, ready to snap his fingers and kill Bradley, but Riza slid in front of him.

"_Move_," He growled at her, she shook her head and took the Homunculus from under Roy's boot.

"Sir, you need a doctor. Central Command is burning and this can be dealt with later."

"No, it needs to be done _now_."

"I can't let you do that, sir." Riza stared stonily into Roy's black eyes while a cacophony of noise erupted in the transport bay as Bradley's Special Forces officers flooded the area. Mustang's team was roughly shoved into a police car, while the Colonel and Havoc were rushed to the hospital to be treated for their wounds.

As the ambulance sped down the road in the last rays of the setting sun, Roy sat in the back with two attendants and struggled to remain conscious. The vehicle suddenly braked and threw all of its occupants forward. A few moments later, the back doors of the ambulance were thrown open to admit an exhausted Edward Elric with a bleeding Sadie in his arms and a thin sickly boy on his back. The blonde boy allowed the paramedics to take the boy off of his shoulders but watched carefully as they attended to him and to the girl. Then he turned to Roy with a small smile tugging at his lips before he fell asleep against the wall of the car.

**A.N.- Well, Ed pulled over a speeding ambulance- don't ask how. Our friends (my dad's coworkers and his kidney donor) are paramedics and those ambulances go FAST. Probably could have used his red coat to flag them since its nighttime but it's covering Al and we can't have his modesty in danger, now can we? Roy did hang on for a while and then have a bit of a mood swing but he has to be tough. Trust me, his softie moment is coming. Hehe. I love writing this, and I hope you guys love reading it. PLEASE REVIEW!**


	23. Chapter 23

**A.N.- I started a Jurassic Park FF- it's called Jurassic Park: Rewritten. Original, huh? Please read it. Well, I'm back from camp, and I'll try to update often. This chapter kind of bounces between everybody in the hospital. Enjoy!**

The Sunset Alchemist, Ch. 23

Ugh. Disinfectant, again.

Sadie groaned and tried to roll over. An annoying beeping noise erupted somewhere to her left and she was gently forced onto her back, again. She grumbled at the inconvenience but fell asleep soon after. She dreamt of her and Ryan as children.

Edward paced angrily in front of his brother and Sadie's doors. Sadie kept slipping in and out of consciousness and Alphonse could barely talk. He clenched his hands repeatedly, marveling angrily at the flesh limb that had been restored to him.

_You can take it back as long as they're alright._ He thought angrily. Ed bit his lip and resumed pacing.

Roy was in a world of pain. The nurses had told him that his left lung had been speared by a sword, but it was unsure whose it was.

He didn't care.

As soon as the blood and other fluids had been siphoned from his lungs Mustang had gasped for his team. The doctors quickly pressed him to the bed to restrain him. They swiftly drugged the Colonel as he mumbled quiet apologies to his team and prayed for their safety.

"I don't care, I'm staying in here!" Sadie was pulled into reality by a wonderfully familiar voice arguing at the door to her room.

"I'll not allow you in a room unattended with the patient- not in her weak state." Sadie assumed this was her doctor speaking, now.

She kept her eyes shut.

The squabble continued for a few more minutes until Sadie heard the doctor huff and leave. The soft creaking of a chair alerted her to someone at her bedside.

She kept her eyes shut.

"Sadie," The voice began, she knew it was Ed's by instinct. "I don't know if you can hear me-"He broke off with a confusing sigh, while Sadie fought fatigue to stay conscious and listen.

"I don't know what I would have done if anything had happened to you or Al." Sadie felt a sudden urge to open her eyes and hug the boy, to tell him how she felt, but wasn't sure how to go about it.

She kept her eyes shut.

"What I'm trying to say is-" She could hear Edward shift uncomfortably beside her, and she prepared herself for the worst.

"I know what you gave Truth to get Al's body and my arm back." Sadie's heart sank and she winced- it wasn't what she had been expecting. Thankfully, he didn't notice.

"You were going to be able to bring _your_ brother back, what you've been working for for the past three years!" Fervent anger was woven into his every word. Sadie could hear him rise from the chair and move closer to her bed. She felt the mattress bend on either side of her and realized that Edward was leaning over the bed from the right side.

"Why?" He growled at her, "Why give up something like that- as important as your own _brother_ to help two boys who were well on their way to healing without you!" Sadie shuddered slightly as Ed towered over her, his outline darkening the inside of her eyelids. A tear escaped her eye and slid down her cheek. After a moment, she felt multiple droplets splash onto her face, running down her cheek and mixing with her own tears.

Ed was crying for her.

"I can't believe you," He muttered, "You're so stupid, and I couldn't do anything to help you at all. Al and I were fine-"He broke off, and Sadie felt more tears fall on her face. Then, she felt a different kind of warmth and wondered what it was. Then, before she had time to register anything, Ed kissed her softly, then leaned close to her ear and whispered,

"Thank you."

A small smile curved Sadie's lips. She ignored the pain and the bandages on her person as more tears rolled down her face and she watched Ed silently leave the room, still believing her unconscious.

Her unbroken arm with its bandaged fingers crept up to touch her lips , then to wipe away the tears merging into her blonde hair.

The doctor entered a short while later to check her medicine and was obviously pleased with Ed's absence. Sadie slipped in and out of consciousness as he redressed her wounds and swabbed her arm for an IV. She didn't resist him as he injected the medicine.

She was untouchable.

**A.N.- *yawn* Short, I know. But I'm exhausted. I got back from three weeks of sleepaway camp today- where I got a horsemanship and wilderness expertise award. (HALLAH!) And now my dad's back in the hospital- please pray for him, you guys; I'm scared for him. **

**So review and tell me what you think, I'm open for Flames and good reviews (non-flames?). Love you all!**


	24. Chapter 24

**A.N.- Thank you all for the kind encouragement! I love these reviews!**

**Christmasloot and Dreamer372: There's quite a bit of Ed/Sadie in this chapter, tell me if it's good! I didn't want to make it sappy, but it was hard.**

**DeadlyShadows-KuroOni: My evilness? Do explain, I like this word.**

**luna midknight: I just didn't like Winry from the start. Well- I did, then she started hinting about Ed and now here we are! *guilty grin and thumbs up***

**Review and tell me what you think! Enjoy!**

The Sunset Alchemist, Ch. 24

"I'm terrible, Al. I don't know what to do."

"It's fine, Brother; she was sleeping."

"Not that! She gave Ryan up for us!"

"I think he would have approved of her decision."

"Well I don't!" Ed sat beside Alphonse's bed, lamenting and venting simultaneously. "I can't believe her- we were well on our way to getting our bodies back!"

Alphonse frowned, "Brother, we weren't even close." Hot, angry tears spilled from Edward's eyes at the truth behind his brother's words.

"She did that- for us." He said again, still unable to wrap his head around the simple fact. Al gently laid a thin, wasted hand on Ed's arm.

"We should be grateful to her, Brother. Because of Sadie, Envy is gone, you and I are whole again, and your heart is mended." The younger boy dropped his voice at the last part, urging Ed to accept the truth. The older blonde faltered for a moment, dumbstruck until they were interrupted.

"Excuse me, Elrics; she wouldn't rest until I brought her to see you." A brunette nurse poked her head in the door apologetically, then withdrew and pushed Sadie through the door.

In a wheelchair.

Alphonse's eyes widened and Ed clenched the edge of the bed sheet furtively; Sadie looked worse out of bed. She was pale and marred with bruises. Bandages wrapped around her arms and head, a white cast encased her broken arm and hung in a sling.

Ed stared at her with horror. "This is all my fault." Sadie tried to rise from the chair.

"Ed, don't; I did this on my own- I went looking for Envy." Edward stood abruptly, his chair sliding back from the force.

"It's my fault," He muttered, his tone frightening his brother, the nurse, and Sadie. "I couldn't save Winry, and I couldn't protect you." He walked quickly to Sadie's wheelchair, ignoring the warnings of the nurse. Sadie's blue eyes showed small traces of fear, and her free hand slid to her throat subconsciously. Ed swallowed hard and gently placed his right hand on her head. Sadie smiled weakly up at him and grasped his wrist.

"It's. Not. Your. Fault." She whispered. He nodded and pushed her temporary confinement of a wheelchair to Alphonse's bedside and sat between them. The three Alchemists chatted happily, and the brown haired nurse smiled and slipped quietly out of the room.

Central's prison cells were filthy. Hawkeye gazed uneasily about her confines, glad that the rest of the division was just to her left.

After soldiers had stormed Command's delivery bay, they had quickly stripped Mustang's men of their weapons and separated them. Fuhrer Bradley in his weakened form was plucked from Riza's hands and locked away somewhere unbeknownst to the team. Out of the corner of her eye, Hawkeye had seen Havoc being hoisted into an ambulance and a wheezing and pale Mustang soon following. She pressed her fingers to her temples, determined not to cry, and hoped that Mustang, Havoc, Sadie, and the Elric's were alright.

_Envy smirked cruelly, a terrible grin curving his lips. _

"No!"

_He laughed as he stepped on her leg, breaking it in three places. She screamed. _

"Please!"

_He smiled at her, his arm lengthening into an all too familiar blade._

"Stop!" Sadie rolled over, clutching at the soft fabric next to her. Tears streamed down her face, the current pain of her wounds providing the tortured feeling in her dream.

_Envy lunged toward her, teeth bared and mauve eyes flashing. As the blade arced towards her neck she screamed again and tried to wake._

"Ed!" All at once, Sadie felt something warm on her head as she shocked herself awake. She opened her eyes to a black shirt clenched in her fingers. The girl slowly raised her gaze to meet two gold eyes brimming with concern.

She froze.

"Sadie," Edward said slowly, "It was a nightmare, only a dream." It took Sadie a moment to realize that Ed was lying precariously on the edge of her hospital bed, his face parallel to hers.

She stared at him.

Ed raised his hand and gently wiped a tear from her face. Sadie's blue eyes were wide and she trembled with fear.

"Sadie, you're fine," Ed tried to soothe her, "I'm here, and nothing will hurt you." He stared down at her solemnly, promising her safety; then, he untwined her fingers from his shirt and held her close.

"Why are you on the bed?" She asked him slowly, feeling tired again already but not willing to sleep. Ed chuckled,

"You looked lonely."

"Liar," They both laughed quietly, and Sadie fell asleep soon after, thanks to the many medications flowing within her body. Edward smiled slightly, grateful that she was healing. He started to withdraw from the bed but Sadie weakly pulled him back in her sleep. He smiled again and made himself comfortable.

He would be there for her when she woke up.

**A.N.- PHEW! Glad that's off my chest and out of my notebook. Should there be a trial over King Bradley's "disappearance"? I've already got it written, but I'm just not sure…. Tell me what you guys want, and I'll cater it. Later!**


	25. Chapter 25

**A.N.- Well, since nobody gave input, I went ahead and put this in. Here's the court scene, you guys. Review!**

The Sunset Alchemist, Ch. 25

"Colonel Roy Mustang, Central Command's higher authorities demand your presence at a hearing debating the disappearance of Fuhrer King Bradley. As soon as you are well enough you will appear in court and present your testimony to the judge." Finished, the spindly man collected his papers, tapped them into order, and left the room with a curt "good day". Mustang sank back into his bed with a heavy sigh. The oxygen mask looped around his face angrily fed the air back to him. Roy frowned; down the hall from him Havoc lay paralyzed. The doctors had stabilized him immediately but he was still unconscious after thirteen days. He sighed again and turned his thoughts to the rest of his team. Would they face trial, as well? Were they even alive? Endless questions flooded the Colonel's mind, so many that he had to picture a white space and count to ten.

Roy could hear Fullmetal pacing in the hall, his fervent muttering, praying, and cursing easily carried through the walls. Mustang smiled, the Elrics' quest had finally ended- the never-ending tirade to have things as they once were was over. Roy smiled again as the mask agitatedly pushed more air to him.

Almost a month later, Alphonse, Sadie, Ed, and Mustang were all escorted out of the hospital to Central Command. Alphonse walked shakily on wrist crutches but could move independently, Sadie was out of her wheelchair with only a few bandages and stitches left, and Mustang stumbled along quietly, still wearing an oxygen mask until his lungs healed; Ed walked defiantly by his brother.

Havoc was still unconscious.

The four Alchemists could see Roy's division being roughly shoved into the building. Mustang's ungloved hands clenched furiously but there was nothing he could do. Sadie warily looked at Ed and Mustang; if they wanted to they could do some serious damage. Roy's gloves had been confiscated but he could still transmute, however, Alphonse was still too weak for professional Alchemy. Sadie frowned, ever since she had woken up, her Alchemy hadn't been working, which left Ed. She prayed he would keep a level head and watch his tongue so they would leave the courtroom alive.

"Quiet!" A large, dark skinned man called once everyone had been seated. Sadie recognized him as General Raven. Ed growled quietly beside her and she realized that Brigadier General Basque Grand was sitting to Raven's right. She nervously tapped the blonde's arm and he fell silent but still shot hateful glares at the man. Alphonse, who sat to his brother's left, frowned.

"Quiet, please!" Raven called again, when that failed, Grand stood and roared,

"Silence!" The assembly quickly settled and fell silent. Raven gestured to the stenographer to begin writing. Alex Louis Armstrong stood from the desk hurriedly.

"Fear not, General!" He cried, "For stenography has been in the Armstrong family line for generations!" He flexed his muscles repeatedly.

"Sit down, Major." Grand growled. Armstrong saluted valiantly and sank into the chair. Raven sighed and addressed the congregation.

"Citizens of Amestris, we are gathered here today to execute the trials of State Alchemist Edward Elric-" Ed tried to stand and argue, but Al and Sadie pulled him back down. "-Alphonse Elric, State Alchemist Sadie Adams, State Alchemist Colonel Roy Mustang, First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, Warrant Officer Vato Fallman-" The General listed the rest of Roy's team and then their offenses.

"Colonel Mustang and his team have either kidnapped or assassinated Fuhrer King Bradley!" The room erupted into gasps of astonishment and cruel jeers. Sadie saw Mustang's group blanch. Raven raised a hand and quieted the assembly, then he nodded to Grand, who stood.

"And both the Elric brothers and State Alchemist Sadie Adams will be tried for the murder of Sewing Life Alchemist Shou Tucker and his daughter, Nina." Edward stood with a shout, ignoring Al and Sadie, and vaulted over the wall separating their box from the court. He angrily clapped his hands and slammed them to the tile. The floor shifted into a spear, which Ed angrily readied to throw. Grand just smiled at him patronizingly.

"Ed!" Sadie's cry made him turn and freeze. Two Central soldiers stood behind Alphonse and Sadie, each holding a gun to the backs of the Alchemists' heads. Sadie's hair fell into her eyes and obscured her vision but Edward knew she was scared. Al stared at his brother with wide eyes.

"Drop your weapon, Fullmetal, or there will be two less trials today." Grand ordered. Ed opened his mouth to retort but a soft click and a gasp stopped him. He knew without turning that the guns were now pressed to Sadie and Alphonse's necks. Mustang shifted slightly but a third guard standing behind him dropped his hand to the holster on his hip. The crowd murmured.

"Quiet down, please!" Raven said before turning to his left to speak to the other persons of power with him.

"You killed Tucker and Nina!" Ed accused Grand. "They died from wounds _you_ gave them! This isn't court," he shouted desperately, "This is wrong!" He looked to General Raven, but the older man was deeply occupied with the papers in front of him and deemed Grand fit to handle the scene. He did.

"What's wrong is the crime you've committed."

"No!"

"Sit down, Fullmetal."

"Ed-"Al's voice reminded him of the situation at hand and with a resigned scowl he allowed himself to be cuffed and roughly returned to his seat. The guns remained pointed at Al and Sadie. Raven suddenly broke off his conversation and turned back to face the audience.

"Based on submitted and tested evidence, the jury finds the Elrics and Sadie Adams guilty of Second and Third Degree Murder." He delicately knocked the gavel against the podium. Ed sprang to his feet but was held back by the soldiers.

"Grand killed them! You can't blame it on us! We loved Nina, you _liar_!" Grand and Raven ignored him. Sadie balled her hands and tried to think. Alphonse nudged her as Grand nodded to her guard.

_Bang._

**A.N.- Hehe, do you hate me? I'm sorry. I'll try to wrap this up soon. R &R! Please also look at my Jurassic Park FanFic. We read the book in AIG and I've been obsessed with the movie all summer. Read and tell me what you think! Loves to you all!**


	26. Chapter 26

**A.N.- Hehe, I'm enjoying this. **

**Jessie: Monster of an author? WELL THEN I SEE HOW THIS IS. I live for cliff hangers. (Note the slight exaggeration XP)**

**Enjoy and review, everybody!**

The Sunset Alchemist, Ch. 26

Sadie fell sideways slowly onto Alphonse's lap. Edward shouted to her and the whole congregation gasped.

"Your impudence merited you a lesson, boy." Grand spat.

Raven shook his head. "Such a waste of pure talent. What a shame." Ed struggled against his restraints futilely. Sadie still lay limply on Al's lap, eyes closed. The younger Elric's hand slowly crept up to her neck to feel for a pulse. A fast, lively beat of blood surged through Sadie's veins. Al sighed with relief, he could feel her heart beating rapidly in fear, but at least it was beating. Sadie's left hand, which hung off of Alphonse's lap in a lifeless way, slowly curled into a fist. Her other arm was trapped beneath her so Al wriggled to free it. His guard growled at the movement and pressed the cold gun muzzle to his neck again. Sadie slowly slid her hand out from underneath her and quickly grasped Alphonse's shoulder.

The guards saw.

With a shout, Al's soldier pushed his gun forward and pulled the trigger to shoot the boy and then deal with the girl.

Sadie's hand on Al's shoulder pulled him to the side. The two of them rolled off the bench and fell to the floor. Sadie became pinioned between the wall in front of the bench and the leg of the bench itself. Alphonse lying on top of her in a squished position wasn't helping. She squirmed out from under the blonde and slid under the bench just as the guards thrust their guns down towards them as far as they could without losing their balance and started firing. Sadie shrieked and dragged Al beside her. She pressed herself against the wood panel separating the bottom of the bench from the foot space of the row behind. They could hear Ed shouting incoherently over the roar of people screaming and fleeing the room. The firing stopped suddenly, and all was quiet. Then, Sadie heard a small shuffling noise and felt the panel by her foot jump a bit. The girl quickly tucked her knees to her chest as the wood splintered and a bullet tore through.

"Go!" She screamed to Alphonse, who hurriedly crawled on his elbows down the line under the bench. Bullets burst through the wood behind them and sprayed splinters everywhere. Sadie quickly followed him; crawling military style, which she found ironic. Alphonse stopped a few inches in front of her, wheezing and panting. She realized he didn't have his wrist crutches, which were back by their seats.

"Blocked," He gasped, coughing violently. Sadie peered around him to glare at the four inch solid wall under the bench separating one section from the next. The bullets spewed closer. Sadie looked behind her and bit her lip, and then she rolled out into the area where she had first fallen to allow Al to inch back. She then crawled back under the bench and kicked at the thick wall. It didn't give.

More wood cracked as the soldiers grew nearer.

Sadie swore vehemently and kicked again, but her foot hit the corner joining the wall to the panel the bullets were tearing through as they neared. The wood broke and gave, and Sadie's foot slid through the hole. The soldiers saw her extremity poking out of the back of the bench and rushed to the site. With a grunt Sadie pulled her foot back in; wincing as jagged splinters the size of kitchen knives tried to slice her leg. Everything was quiet for a moment, save Ed's struggling, and in that moment, three things happened.

Ed fell limp and the two men restraining him stumbled with the sudden weight. The Alchemist jerked his head up and threw himself against the two soldiers, they tripped and fell. Edward spun his hands around each other, winding the chain between the cuffs tighter and tighter until it splintered. With the individual handcuffs still on his wrists, Ed slammed his hands to the floor.

Mustang's team all at once sprang into action and tackled the posse guarding them. Mustang was plucked from the floor where he had fallen and escorted to a safe corner.

The two guards quietly knelt down behind the bench panel. Sadie saw the blue of their uniforms through the hole she had created as they lowered themselves. One soldier slowly poked the muzzle of his pistol in the gap right by Sadie's eye and fired.

Time sped up.

**A.N.- AND THAT'S WHERE IT ENDS TONIGHT, MY FRIENDS… no, just kidding. Someone might start a coup and kill me so I'll go on.**

The bullet ricocheted around under the bench, more than once threatening to hit Sadie or Alphonse in the head or shoulder. They clenched their eyes shut and screamed. Then, the bullet hit the lip of the bench and shot into the panel _in front_ of the bench, spraying wood chips and splinters everywhere.

The floor rippled from Ed's Alchemy and tore through the wall, bench, and back panel behind Al and Sadie, throwing the two soldiers high into the air. They landed limply on two benches in the back, alive but bruised. Edward vaulted over the remains of the demolished wall and pulled his brother and Sadie from their shelter.

"Thank God you're safe," He said breathlessly. "Why the hell do you always _almost_ have to die and _almost_ give me a heart attack?"

**A.N.- NOW we're done. (For realsies.) Not with the story… just with this chapter.**

**REVIEW! Love to all.**


	27. Chapter 27

**A.N.- SO SORRY I HAVEN'T BEEN WRITING! School is actually very difficult, and I'm looking at a college next year in Virginia instead of High School so my grades this year really matter. I also got contacts today! My eyes itch terribly and I can't rub them AT ALL. Ugh. Anyways, thank you all for the reviews, favs, and watches- I've got so many followers now! Thank you all so much! Enjoy this chapter.**

The Sunset Alchemist, Ch. 27

"The State Alchemists Edward Elric, Sadie Adams, and their accomplice Alphonse Elric are declared enemies of Amestris." Basque Grand declared to the crowd of people begging him for answers and protections.

"Major Armstrong, go and retrieve those children immediately." He demanded. Armstrong frowned for a moment, then saluted and entered the building. Raven smiled slightly at Grand's side, then turned to enter another part of the Amestrian Military Headquarters.

Ed helped Alphonse out from under the bench and set him on his feet while Sadie found his wrist crutches beneath the rubble.

"Fullmetal, you and Sunset need to get out of here." Lieutenant Hawkeye said sternly. She walked over to them with broken strides, supporting a wheezing Mustang on her shoulder.

"We're not leaving," Ed and Sadie defiantly claimed together.

Riza frowned. "They're going to send reinforcements in any minute, now. You're in no condition to fight and defend your brother at the same time."

"Neither are you."

"There are more of us."

"We're Alchemists."

"_En-uhf_!" Mustang groaned through his mask, yanking it free from his face with a small gasp. "Good God, you all argue like children!" Riza gave him a death glare and he cowed a bit. Edward opened his mouth to angrily retort but was interrupted by a Major (with very handsome muscles that had been passed through the Armstrong line for generations) bursting into the room.

"Colonel Mustang!" He cried, flamboyantly. "How good it is to see you alive!" Mustang grimaced as Hawkeye tried to force his oxygen mask back onto his face. Armstrong's grin faded into a serious scowl that knitted his brows together.

"I am under orders from Brigadier General Basque Grand to apprehend Miss Adams and the Elrics at all costs." Roy smiled a bit at the preposterous task.

Like that would ever happen.

A bright flash of green light caught all of their attention. They saw Sadie with her hands clasped around Alphonse's wrists and a consternated look on her face. Al's wrist crutches disappeared from his hands and he rubbed his arms in amazement as he stood on his own. Sadie stepped back, grinning at her hands.

"I've got my Alchemy back," She sang happily. Edward smiled at her and was about to speak again before a shout interrupted him yet again.

"Armstrong! Do you have the traitors?" The large man cast Mustang a cautious look before falling to the floor and convulsing violently.

"I- I- _no_! _Please_! Brigadier General, they're too strong-"He fell limp on the tile with Sadie, the Elrics, Mustang, and his team staring at him. Sadie smothered a laugh as the big man winked at her and silently rose from the floor.

"You have to leave, now." He said urgently. "Go to the country or somewhere far from Central. May the luck of the Armstrong family guide you." Alphonse pushed in front of Ed and Sadie in an irritated manner.

"We're not leaving! I don't know how many times we'll have to say this! We're going to finish what we've started, even if it means fighting the entire Amestrian military."

Sadie nodded. "This is our fight." Fallman spoke up.

"But you're out of the hospital, Envy is dead. You don't have any more obligations." Edward shook his head, his gold braid swinging behind him furiously.

"You don't get it- just because that part is over doesn't mean we're done. Now we know that Amestris's government is dirty and corrupt, and somehow we'll have to stop it. Not to mention there are still other Homunculi that will try to avenge Envy." He stated defiantly. Mustang coughed and pressed his mask to his face for a few breaths before removing it to speak again.

"The Fuhrer is a Homunculus, too, Fullmetal." That shocked everyone besides Roy and his team.

"What?"

"Are you serious?"

"That explains a lot." The Flame Alchemist nodded and ignored the mask and glare being pushed his way by his Lieutenant.

"I guess I never told you why I was in the hospital." Ed turned away abruptly with a smirk and Sadie could hear him cough, "useless" into his hand.

"What did you say, Fullmetal?" Edward turned and gave the Colonel a full-wattage grin and a thumbs up,

"That you're the best ever, Roy!" Armstrong stepped in between the two State Alchemists hurriedly.

"_Go_!" He said, "Finish your hunt, go into hiding, just leave!" Ed glared at Mustang before turning and dragging Sadie and Al to the far exit. Roy's team started after them, much to the Colonel's irritation.

"Good afternoon, Fuhrer." Raven said politely as he slipped into a dimly lit but well hidden room. A small pale creature frowned at him from the floor.

"General Raven, how did the trial go?"

"Just fine. Grand is a loyal soldier through and through." Bradley sighed,

"I hear chaos." He said coldly. "I am beginning to regret my decision of trusting these matters to you, Raven." The dark skinned general gave a mock bow before the Homunculi.

"I'm sorry, sir. The Elrics and the Sunset Alchemist proved to be more trouble than they were worth. However," A sly smile curved his lips as he spoke and removed something from his pocket. "This was found in your office upon closer inspection- most likely from when Adams was attacked." He placed a small burgundy stone on the floor in front of Bradley. He sniffed it disdainfully.

"One of Envy's Philosopher's Stones. It reeks of his arrogance."

"It's all we have. You are too weak to restore yourself with your single Stone."

"I know that, Raven." The Homunculus snapped. He pulled the Stone to him slowly. The closer the red material became, the more it glowed. Small white tendrils crept from Bradley's body and attached themselves to it, becoming tinged with pink as the Stone flowed through them. Soon, the Stone was absorbed into Bradley's weak form. He sat for a moment until he began to grow. Within seconds he was restored to his human form.

"Now, Raven," King Bradley said pleasantly, with a traitorously kind smile. "Let's go catch some Alchemists, shall we?"

**A.N.- HAHA! Do you hate me? When I had Raven give Bradley the Stone I thought of those Snickers commercials and almost made him say: "Sir, eat a Stone- you're not you when you're hungry." Hahaha, that would've been great! BTW, I am in love, such a sweet thing. (Swoon and faint) Problem is, I have trouble telling people outside my family "I love you", so I try to put it in my writing, but if you look closely, my characters rarely say "I love you" verbally- they convey it in their actions and with similar words... how creepy is that? Review, please! I love your comments! Thanks!**


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